Topband: Beverage antenna static discharge

Dave Heil k8mn at earthlink.net
Sun Nov 21 23:58:28 EST 2004


I just finished installing a north-firing 585 foot beverage at seven
feet, fed with RG-6.  Everything was pretty much done from information
found on W8JI's web site though I used aluminum electric fence wire.  I
had materials on hand for making the binocular core matching transformer
per Tom's instructions.  The housings for the terminating resistor (3
paralleled 2W, 1500 ohm resistors) and the balun are the gray plastic
outlet boxes from Lowe's with solid covers and foam gaskets.  These were
drilled for the #8 stainless steel screws.  I used stainless wing nuts
for ease of connection.

One thing I did toward static discharge is to add an NE-2A neon bulb
across the terminating resistors and across the high impedance side of
the matching transformer.  Rather than using circuit board with an 1/8"
gap, I left the wires to the wing nuts a bit long and bent the surplus
wire ends toward each other with a 1/8" gap.  Are there other things I
can do do bleed off static buildup?  How about using an RF choke from
the fed end to ground?

Dave Heil K8MN


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