[TenTec] Open wire feed

[Sinisa Hristov]

"Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" wrote:

> the open wire feedline doesn't care about mismatch and vswr because at any
> point on the line the currents and voltages are equal and opposite;

This condition is not automatically satisfied by using an open wire feedline.
A common mode current may exist on open wires just as easily as on coax.

The open wire feedline owes its "low loss" property entirely to its
rather high characteristic impedance coupled with low dielectric loss.

With a reasonable SWR, say less than 10, the line current will be
rather low on most of the line, resulting in low copper loss.
This is exactly the reason why Tesla preferred to use high voltages
in electric power distribution - to reduce I^2 * R loss in copper.


73,

Sinisa  YT1NT, VE3EA