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Topband: Flag Transformer Design

To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: Flag Transformer Design
From: AMDX@worldnet.att.net (Mike Knowlton)
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 23:09:46 -0600
   Hi All,
   
  After reading the page on Pennant and Flag antennas, 
I decided I would attempt to build a transformer with less
capacitance between primary and secondary than the 
working design on the Pennant and Flag page.
  I used a 4229 Pot core of 3F3 material. I wound 13 turns
of # 30 wire on the bobbin. I then cut Styrofoam to fill the 
space from the center of the bobbin to the outside edge.
The Styrofoam is shaped like a donut with flat sides, I then 
cut the donut so I had two halves, like this (  ), these were 
sandwiched around the primary. I then wound 3 turns over 
the Styrofoam as the 50 ohm winding. 
. 
  I measured the capacitance as 10 pf.

When I connected the pot core to earth 
ground the capacitance measured 1.5pf.

 I then removed the 3 turns and the Styrofoam and insulated
the 13 turns with tape, I  wound a layer of .002" brass
( as a shield ) around the 13 turns, ( being careful to insulate 
the end to prevent a short). I brought a brass tab out of the 
pot core to ground the shield. I reinstalled the Styrofoam and
wound 3 turns over the Styrofoam. This was all put into 
a small box made of copper clad PCB material, with a SO-239
connector and two brass screws for connecting the antenna.
A third brass screw was used for grounding. 
 
When I connected the shield and the pot core to earth ground
the capacitance between windings measured as 1/10 of 1 pf.

 Comments???
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
The RESISTANCE and the REACTANCE of the  TRANSFORMER

The core was gapped to have XL=3200 ohms at 540Khz on the 
antenna 13 turn side.
I terminated the 3 turns with a 49.9 ohm 1% carbon film resistor.

4229 pot core 3F3 material 13 T and 3 T

540 Khz   R=850 ohms       XL=290 ohms
1Mhz       R=900 ohms       XL=180 ohms
2Mhz       R=900 ohms       XL=173 ohms
3Mhz       R=1025 ohms     XL=183 ohms
4Mhz       R=1050 ohms     XL=540 ohms
5Mhz       R= 1025 ohms    XL=510 ohms
6Mhz       R=620 ohms       31.5* phase shift
  I could not measure any further, using the reactance
canceling method.( I didn't have any small polystyrene caps)
 Previous measurements also showed something running out 
around 6 Mhz.

FT 143-43 toroid core 35 T and 8 T

540Khz    R=750 ohms       XL=370 ohms
1Mhz       R=850 ohms       XL=500 ohms
Mhz       R=950 ohms       XL=825 ohms
3Mhz       R=1175 ohms     XL=1525 ohms
4Mhz       R =1700 ohms    XL= 2350 ohms

  I could not measure any further, using the reactance
canceling method.
First, how do my measurements compare to others for the 
FT140-43 toroid core?

Second, does having a less reactive transformer add anything 
positive to the effort?

Pot core---2Mhz       R=900 ohms       XL=173 ohms
vs
Toroid------ 2Mhz       R=950 ohms       XL=825 ohms

Comments??

  I am working outside the limit of my understanding of transformers,
any info and help is appreciated.

                           Mike



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