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Re: [TowerTalk] Test Fixture for Common Mode Chokes

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Test Fixture for Common Mode Chokes
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2026 20:31:35 -0800
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 1/25/2026 7:58 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
Yeah, I assumed one at the feedpoint.  I was referring to the situation where you might want to add another one.  I still think that should go at a current maximum if possible.

Good question. The times I've added a second choke were the examples I've mentioned several times, breaking up the line to prevent it acting as parasitic to a nearby antenna.

There's another mechanism that can couple common mode shield current that is quantified as the "transfer impedance" of the shield. It's defined as the differential voltage induced inside the coax by that common mode current. Ott observed that the resistance of the shield at the frequency of interest is the lower limit, and non-ideal shield construction increases it. For example, irregularities, a less dense braid. I would expect typical CATV coax to have fairly high transfer impedance at low frequencies. Hard line gets close to ideal.

So yes, at a common current maxima forced by the minima at the first choke, surrounding objects, and termination at the premises would make sense. But I would expect this to be a pretty low level event except when the potential interference was quite strong (like a high power multi-transmitter environment of near a high power broadcast transmitter.

73, Jim K9YC





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