Topband: 1000 feet 5/8" hardline or 600ohm True Ladder lin

[Tom W8JI]

> Back in 1997 N6BV and I did some testing using "ladder line" (not the real
> 600 ohm stuff) and some 9:1 baluns on each end.  We were looking at a site
> in YV where the beach was about 1000' from the hotel room. We tested the
> following:
> - loss in back to back baluns
> - loss in 100' of ladder line and baluns on each end

When I first moved here I installed a 1500 foot long ladder line with #8 
AWG. With 2.75 inch spacing the #8 bare solid copper was 450 ohm.  This was 
a good spacing for the line, the impedance making the line easy to construct 
and easy to build efficient baluns.

Measured loss on that line was in the .25 dB range on 4 MHz, including 
baluns.

Unfortunately regular window line is neither 450 ohm, or as low loss as is 
published most places (or calculated in some calculators). Some of the ARRL 
stuff shows half the real loss.

73 Tom