[TenTec] (no subject)

[kf6e at mail.com]

The problem was that I had a random wire antenna in my attic and wanted to use it on several bands.  The impedance was low on one band and quite high on others.  A transformer to change the impedance seen by the rig would only have worked on one band.  (I calculated the initial length of the wire as follows:  I started in one corner of the attic, and when I got too tired to go on, I stopped and cut the wire.)  I subsequently tried adding some length in small increments, and improved the loading somewhat, but never got it very good.  I replaced it with several center-fed dipoles, which not only load better, but perform better both on receive and transmit.


Moral of the story: don't buy a house where outdoor antennas are not allowed, no matter how much the XYL insists.


By the way, the LDG AT-600 Pro is for sale, since I now use a Ten Tec Centurion amp with the MFJ-998.


73,
Frank
KF6E


-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Gerald N. Johnson <geraldj at weather.net>
To: tentec at contesting.com
Sent: Wed, Nov 24, 2010 11:10 am
Subject: Re: [TenTec] (no subject)


When you KNOW you have a low impedance antenna at low frequency you can 
improve life for the tuner by adding a transformer. Not a balun, a 
conventional ferrite cored transformer. There have been such designs in 
QST and ARRL Handbooks for feeding short verticals on 80 and 160. At 
least 20 years ago, maybe longer. Though the conventional 1:4 balun 
operated with the high impedance side to the tuner and the low impedance 
side to the antenna can be a benefit operated as a unun which may 
require unhooking the ground from the center tap of the high impedance side.

Or if its the usual case causing a low impedance, a short vertical with 
no loading coil, you can raise the feed impedance by adding a loading 
coil, not making the tuner be the loading coil too.

Without digging out a design, I'd suggest a start for a ferrite 
transformer would involve a F200 core, with 12 to 15 turns on the 
primary and a 5 turn secondary tapped every turn. Pick the connections 
that give the lowest SWR without the tuner.

Or a loading coil that resonates the short antenna which still make end 
up with a low resistance but cuts the reactance problem which is part of 
the problem that fries a tuner, and then add the ferrite cored 
transformer which was the emphasis on those short verticals in QST.

73, Jerry, K0CQ

On 11/24/2010 7:05 AM, kf6e at mail.com wrote:
> I would strongly recommend the MFJ-998, unless your antenna is very close to 
1:1 SWR anyway.
>
>
> They rate tuners by the range of impedances they can match, and by the power 
they can handle.  But it's "or," not "and."  If a tuner is rated at 6 to 1600 
ohms matching capability and 300 watts, it will handle 300 watts only around 50 
ohms load.  You must decrease power when the impedance varies greatly from the 
50-ohm nominal load, especially at the low impedance end.  I blew up an LDG 
AT-600 Pro (rated at 600 watts) with 175 watts on CW, running into a low 
impedance antenna.  LDG repaired it for free, but I can't use that power on that 
frequency on that antenna with that tuner.
>
>
> I've been very pleased with my MFJ-998.  I've run up to 1000 watts through it 
over a wide range of antenna impedances with no problems.
>
>
> 73,
> Frank
> KF6E
>
>
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