Topband: Arcing Prevention

[Pete Smith]

At 07:36 PM 11/9/2005, Tom Rauch wrote:
>> I have a relay system that switches a base loading coil in
>and out of a
>> 60 foot vertical. While on 160, the open contacts across
>the 80 meter
>> relay arch, interfering (albeit intermittently) with 160
>meter operation
>> at the kw level.  I understand the voltage is quite high
>at the top of
>> the coil on 160 with an 1/8th wave vertical, but is there
>a way to
>> prevent this arching from occurring?

[I forgot the prohibition on top-posting -- resending done *properly* I hope.]

Sometime within the last month or two I recall reading a description of a matching system for a 2-band vertical (80 and 160, or 40 and 20, second harmonic relationship) that avoided switching altogether by some cleverness with arrangement of matching components.  Can't for the life of me remember the specifics, though - does this ring any bells? 

73, Pete N4ZR