[TenTec] Zepp?

[Don Jones]

I am using a 34 ft doublet / zepp for 20M and above. I feed it with 
100ft of #16 420 ladder line that can be purchased from radio works. I 
am using a 4:1 DX Engineering 10kW-pk rated balun.
The antenna is 34 ft high and works pretty good. I am happy with my 
shortened zepp.
One strange misbehavior I have found that my MFJ 929 auto tuner lockup 
if placed near the 4:1 balun (i.e. using a 2 ft jumper of RG213). 
requiring power to be cycled to regain its brain.
With a 12 ft length of  RG213 (about a 1/4 wave long @ 20M) between the 
remotely mounted tuner and balun, it works fine up to 28.3MHz.  I have 
not grounded the case of the balun yet, going to try that next.
The auto tuner is installed inside a spare 50 cal ammo can I had kicking 
around to protect it from the elements. Come to think of it, a EMI 
gasket vendor dropped off some rubberized EMI Gaskets at my lab, I think 
I will install some of that stuff and see if that solves my problem.

73, Don KO7i


On 9/10/2014 8:59 AM, Joel Hallas wrote:
> That's what I mean by "at the bottom," at the bottom of the feed line rather
> than at the top where the antenna is. The SWR is not improved, but the loss
> is reduced.
>
> Regards, Joel Hallas, W1ZR
> Westport, CT
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Paul Gates
> via TenTec
> Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 11:29 AM
> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Zepp?
>
> I do not know what you mean by putting Balun at bottom? I place my balun
> between the openline and the tuner. 130 ft attenna then the SWR is 1:1 on
> all bands.
>
> Paul Gates KW4BD
>
>
> On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 10:46 AM, Joel Hallas
> <jrhallas at optonline.net> wrote:
>   
>
>>
>> Gents,
>>
>> This is an interesting antenna idea, and I did a quick EZNEC/TLW look
>> on the
>> 5 major HF bands. Unfortunately, the SWR ranges from a low of 5:1 (80
>> and 10
>> meters) to 11:1 on 40. 100 feet of RG-213 will have a loss of more than
>> 2 dB on all bands, except about 1 dB on 80.
>>
>> An alternative, and what I am using here, is to feed the 130 foot cf
>> antenna with lower loss window line and a balun at the bottom, with a
>> short length of coax to a tuner. Window line is lighter (less sag),
>> cheaper and has less loss than coax.
>>
>> The same discussion about names could take place in the window line
>> realm <g>!
>>
>> Regards, Joel Hallas, W1ZR
>> Westport, CT
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of John F.
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 10:16 AM
>> To: tentec at contesting.com; Jim Allen
>> Subject: [TenTec] Zepp?
>>
>> Jim,
>> I like the sound of Zepp better than dipole.  Actually it's probably a
>> matter of semantics, and I'm not going to argue how many angels will
>> fit on the head of a pin! ;>)  There is a reason I called it a zepp,
>> and I think it was in the 95 or 98 Handbook.  Terms many have changed by
> now.
>> I actually think it's a dipole only on 80 meters, and technically a
>> doublet on the other bands!  Ooops, I did it!
>>
>> 73,
>> John, K4AVX
>>
>> Yes the balun, I think is a 9 to one.  It will load and put out a
>> signal on all bands except 160 meters.  Trying to work out an inverted
>> L again on that band - tricky.
>>
>>
>>> Message: 3
>>> Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2014 15:46:59 -0500
>>> From: Jim Allen<jim.allen at longhornband.net>
>>> To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment<tentec at contesting.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Eagle Tuner
>>> Message-ID:
>>>      
>>> <CAO5v6iLk96Oi-DVfpCPLpO35MphtsfoFD7K4MUvGOP9wPokQEw at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>>>
>>> What makes a 130' center fed dipole a Zepp?
>>>
>>> 73 de W6OGC  Jim Allen
>>>
>>> On Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP<Rick at dj0ip.de>
>> wrote:
>>>> That is an excellent setup, John.  Nice choice.
>>>>
>>>> I'm a friend of that antenna too and have used it most of the time
>>>> for the past 50 years.
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