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Re: [RFI] Common mode choke on 4 Square feedlines without skewing phasin

To: rfi@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RFI] Common mode choke on 4 Square feedlines without skewing phasing?
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2019 00:11:36 -0800
List-post: <mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
Hi Andy,

See comments below.

On 1/22/2019 10:50 PM, Andy KU7T wrote:
Hi,

I am constructing an 80m 4 Square using DXE phasing unit. The instructions 
clearly say to not add any matching components or decoupling devices like 
baluns or coils between the phasing unit and the verticals.

I am using 4 elevated radials at about 9 feet height (I would rather not debate that 
decision further…). It is usually suggested to use a common mode choke on any 
antenna feed point, especially for elevated radials.
Yes, that's a great move to make the antenna quieter on receive.
  Adding an conventional choke would likely change my phasing.

It can. This is discussed in my latest work on chokes, k9yc.com/2018Cookbook.pdf   However, if you are able to shorten the electrical length of the coax to each vertical by the electrical length added by the choke, phasing would not be disturbed. There's enough information in the new cookbook to figure that out.  For 80M, the recommended 50 ohm choke is 15 turns of RG400, which with leads adds about 4 ft.  It's velocity factor is 0.703, which is 0.0205 wavelength. So to add the choke, you simply need to subtract that much coax from each antenna.


So, I am looking for more information about making a current choke that does 
not change the electrical length of the phasing coax cables. Is making a stack 
of a few ferrite cores right on the feedline (maybe with a few coils if I have 
the length available) ok to do?

I have read http://www.nu9n.com/images/RFI-Ham.pdf, and current chokes are 
extensively discussed there.

It greatly angers me that NU9N has put my work on his website. That is a violation of my copyright. AND, more important, it caused you to study an 8-year old version of my work, which I have updated significantly since.

My question is whether winding on the phasing coax or sliding over the coax will 
change phasing or not. I am thinking it does not, but wanted to check here…

The only form of choke you could add that would not change the feedline length would be a LOT of clamp-on cores to the existing coax, and it would be a very inferior choke.  But if you can subtract that same electrical length that you add with the RG400 choke, as I've described above,  you haven't disturbed the phasing at all.

73, Jim K9YC

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