[TowerTalk] Ferrite Balun on a LPDA decision

[Clint Talmadge]

Hello all and thank you for all the replies both on and off reflector. I have made a decision on the Balun.

I will use the Unadilla W2DU  (sorry about confusing the AU in the original post though no one commented on the use of a Voltage Balun vs. a Current Balun) at the feed point (front) of the LPDA.

While Tom W8JI raises some valid points about the location of the balun, Tennadyne instructions are to put the recommended balun at the feed point. This would have the same effect regardless of what type balun is used. I am using a Current Balun and the lower boom, to which the balun is secured is attached to the shield of the coax. The only way I see to make sure that none of the induced currents are carried by the coax down the tower is to install an inline common mode choke at the point where the coax makes the turn off the boom to the mast. I am still considering that and if there were a Ham Radio store close to me I would do it just to be sure (sort of like a belt and suspenders).

Dan's article on baluns was very insightful but the numbers achieved for the ferrite balun do not correlate with those on the Unadilla web site. Of course Unadilla is in the business of selling these things and Dan is not so the disparity is somewhat understandable. None the less I will use the W2DU for all the other reasons stated in the original post and "suffer" through with the performance of the ferrite.

I have a good data set as how the antenna played with the coax balun and will compare it to the ferrite once up. I will report back on what I find.  I have a strong feeling that there will be an improvement but I will not be able to attribute it to just the balun given the progress of the cycle and new antenna height. It may take a while to get the tower up as the bride has serious misgivings about my climbing towers since my bypass surgery.


Clint - W5CPT