[TowerTalk] OWL?

["Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj@hotmail.com>]

<<TT:

I'm looking for a source of flexible open wire line, or of
components to make same.  Ideas sought.>>

W7FG sells ready to use open wire line.  it is 600 ohm with #16 stranded 
copper wire.
I don't know how many strands but he has a website that tells all.  I use it 
and run 1.2 kw at times with no probs.  try www.w7fg.com or look him up in 
QRZ.  I think he wants around 40 bucks for 100 ft. but don't hold me to 
that.  This is not ladder line, a.k.a. window line.  It is spaced about 3" 
with a spacer every 2 or 3 feet or so (they are easy to move around).  You 
can also make your own if you want to; it might be a fun project and you get 
exactly what you want that way.   This stuff exhibits comparitively low loss 
at high swr because of its balance so it's used often with single antennas 
that are operated on a lot of different frequencies and not always resonant. 
 It is especially low loss compared to coax when used on frequencies below 
the fed antenna's resonant frequency.  See Steve Ford's article in QST, "The 
Lure of the ladder line."  This is why sw broadcasters continue to use it 
with their curtain antennas--so they can QSY but have low loss.  In my 
opinion, open wire line with a balanced wire antenna and balanced transmatch 
is the way to go for multiband wire antenna operation.

Rob Atkinson
K5UJ

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