[TenTec] Open wire line

[Bry Carling]

I worked a guy the other day who was using 300 ohm TV twinlead as a transmitting 
feedline to a 70 foot long dipole. The feedline was buried underground,
and it was also running up taoed to a metal mast to the center of the dipole.
All kinds of things that break the "rules of ladderline and hamdom."

I was astonished at what a great signal this guy had!
As Chuck Berry sang: "It goes to show you never can tell."

YMMV
73 de AF4K - Bry
Sanford, FL

On 12 Feb 2013 at 17:14, Edward Feustel wrote:

> I have used the open wire and open wire antennas that TrueLadderLine
> supplies. Formerly it was distributed by W7FY. The antenna is
> supported 
> by trees at each end.  A rope attached to one end of the antenna
> goes 
> over the tree.  A rope over the other tree is attached to a pulley.
> A 
> rope attached to the antenna goes through the pulley goes to a hefty
> counter weight.
> 
> I found that the open wire line worked well, but my 210 foot doublet
> that they had supplied kept breaking at the center insulator. The
> strain 
> relief simply was not enough for my doublet and the 125 foot of
> Dacron 
> line used to hold the antenna up.
> 
> I replaced the horizontal wire with number 10 copperweld and the
> center 
> insulator with a ceramic one. A 30 pound plastic canister of cat
> litter 
> serves as a counter weight but it is not really heavy enough.
> 
> Since I replaced the horizontal parts, I have not had any problems
> with 
> winds or ice.
> 
> Ed, N5EI
> 
> On 2/11/2013 1:16 PM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:
> > Well I think the "true ladderline" looks pretty big and bulky and
> ugly and
> > subject to catching too much wind.
> >
> > It's very easy to build your own ladderline if you have the right
> spreaders.
> > IMO, the very best there is, and nothing else come even close:
> > http://www.hfparts.com/eng/products.php
> >   
> > You can see where I used the smallest ones in the pictures of my
> shack in
> > OKC, here: http://www.dj0ip.de/my-station/oklahoma-2010/
> > Using the small set as I used here, you get about 450 Ohms.
> > Longer spreaders can give you 600 Ohms or even more.
> > Take your pick. They come in several sizes.
> >
> > Outside the shack I spaced the spreaders about 1 ft. apart.
> > Inside the shack I spaced them about 6" apart.
> >
> > Although they slip right onto the wires quite easily, they don't
> slip off.
> >
> > Unfortunately I don't think they have a US distributor.
> > You'll have to order from Germany.
> >
> > 73
> > Rick, DJ0IP
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> Andrew
> > Flessner
> > Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2013 7:50 PM
> > To: tentec at contesting.com
> > Subject: [TenTec] Open wire line
> >
> > When I considered what I could build for a single multiband
> antenna that
> > would fit on the apartment roof and reading as many sources of
> info I could,
> > including Maxwell, W2DU, I made a 132' doublet fed with 450 ladder
> line. I
> > later changed it to open wire with 4" spacing. It works very well
> on 80-6
> > meters, tuned with my 238 tuner. I do use a Balun Designs 4:1
> "tuner balun"
> > just outside the house with 10 ft of RG-213.
> >
> > Here are 3 sources for open wire line, there may be others.  I
> built the
> > first because I had most of the parts.
> >   
> >   I think the True Ladder Line product probably makes the most
> sense based on
> > price/effort, etc.
> >    
> >   Andy K9ARM
> >    
> >   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKGB6qkXs
> >    
> >   http://www.trueladderline.com/
> >   
> > http://www.73cnc.com/product_p/ls100.htm
> > _______________________________________________
> > TenTec mailing list
> > TenTec at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
> >
> >
> 
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