Topband: Balun question

[Tom W8JI]

> Though this reflector is for 160M I have an 80M question that might
> be best asked here. My father W1BML is on an 80 meter net nightly.
> His antenna in an inv-V with 40 & 80 elements though he never uses 40
> any more. I needed to fell a couple of trees to remove branches that
> were touching his copperweld and the W2AU balun he had broke in two
> during the process. (Don't ask, your imagination is probably correct)
> :) And he would like it put back the way it was, with a balun. He's
> 96 so I try to keep him happy.
>
> I'm thinking 10 or so rolls of coax around 1' in diameter ought to be
> fine for a choke on 80. Any better suggestions?

Gary,

The W2AU balun he was happy with isn't a balun at all...it basically has NO 
common mode suppression.

The impedance of a few turns of coax is also next to nothing on 80 meters, 
but almost everyone is "happy" with them.

As a matter of fact, if the feedline from the antenna to the ground point of 
the coax is 30-45 feet long, it would need no balun at all for good common 
mode suppression.

This illustrates some of the ridiculous "overkill" we are all caught up in.

Since he was happy with his non-suppression balun, just use anything he 
thinks is a balun. He will be just as happy.  A sting of beads of any 
impedance, a few turns of coax, a big coil of coax, if he didn't notice the 
W2AU balun causing a problem anything you put there will make him happy. 
:)

73 Tom

73 Tom