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[Towertalk] Balun Location (more)

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [Towertalk] Balun Location (more)
From: stevek@jmr.com (Steve Katz)
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 16:10:44 -0700
Re the little SO239 center insulator thingies...

I've had those fail, too.  I've actually had several of them fail (various
brands, over many years) for varying reasons.  But the main reason I avoid
them, myself, is that once it's up on the beam and the beam's 20' up the
mast over the tower where it will never be reached again without a great
deal of work, that's when I need to know which side is "+" and which side is
"-", because it's only later when I figure I want to phase another antenna
with the one that's unreachable.  Of course, this could be determined in
advance with an Ohmmeter, and a permanent marker could be used to mark "+"
on one terminal, and make sure that terminal is visible with binoculars from
the ground...but who thinks of these things?

(Speaking from tons of experience: The RadioWorks large baluns do have a
polarity indicator which can be felt (without looking) if you can touch it,
and can be seen with good binocs from 100' away, if you know where to look.
Been there, done that.....)!

-WB2WIK/6

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." -
Mario Andretti

> -----Original Message-----
> From: K7LXC@aol.com [SMTP:K7LXC@aol.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2002 3:40 PM
> To:   KI7WX@aol.com; towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject:      Re: [Towertalk] Balun Location (more)
> 
> In a message dated 10/10/02 11:53:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> KI7WX@aol.com 
> writes:
> 
> > With the coax choke approach what are folks doing to terminate the coax 
> into 
> > pigtails for connection to the feedpoint? In my station I've always
> avoided 
> > coax terminations and junctions which don't end in a fitting that I can 
> > properly waterproof.
> 
>     I agree. Jim and Steve aside, I haven't seen ANY split coax 
> weatherproofing that was worth anything and my experience has been that
> it's 
> almost impossible to keep water from running down the shield (So THAT'S
> where 
> that puddle of water in the shack came from!). 
> 
>     One way to do it is to use those little dipole center insulators with
> the 
> built-in SO239. The ends go to the feedpoint and the feedline plugs into
> the 
> UHF female socket. 
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve     K7LXC
> TOWER TECH 
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