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[Towertalk] Ground the coax braid on LPDA or not?

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [Towertalk] Ground the coax braid on LPDA or not?
From: lsica@attbi.com (Louis Sica, Jr.)
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 14:19:02 -0600
I have a T8 8 element LPDA on top of a 50 foot tower. That same tower also
has a DX-A half sloper on it. The problem is that since the LPDA boom is
electrically isolated from the tower, I don't get the advantage of the top
loading that antenna would bring, and that makes the performance of the DX-A
sloper not where it could be.

My question is, can I electrically connect the LPDA to the tower by
grounding the braid of the coax to the tower? I've heard conflicting reports
on this. Some say I'd wind up reducing the performance of the LPDA
noticeably, some not. Even those who recommend the connection disagree on
where to do it. Some say it would have to be done near the top of the tower
to take advantage of the top loading of the LPDA, some a ground the bottom
would be just as effective and wouldn't cause the performance degradation in
the LPDA.

Expertise and even educated opinions are appreciated


73
Lou AC0X


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