[TowerTalk] Window line and Balun

[Jim Rhodes]

"Plastic screws" what's with that? If you can't replace them with 
brass, you might try fastening a piece of a fairly rigid insulating 
material to both the ladder line & the balun. Something like a piece 
of plastic pipe. Use tape or nylon ties. That should eliminate the 
flex that causes things to become loose.

At 09:57 AM 1/26/2009, Tim Holmes wrote:
>Hi Folks:
>
>I have a 135 foot dipole at about 50 - 55 feet that is fed with windowline.
>  The window line is connected to a 4:1 balun which in turn is connected to
>the tuner in the shack*.  The antenna works absolutely FANTASTIC -- I see a
>20% gain on transmit and receive over my old coax fed antenna.  The only
>problem that i have is the window line keeps escaping from the screw
>terminals on the top of the balun.  Its an LDG 4:1 balun and has the screw
>down type of terminals with a hole through the center post that the wire is
>placed in and then the plastic screw is tightened down to hold it.  I tried
>stapling the window line to the side of the house so it couldnt escape but
>the shack was instantly flooded with RF, causing all kinds of radio and
>computer wildness when i keyed up.  using a piece of rope between the window
>awning and a stake in the ground with the the windowline caught part way
>between has HELPED but not alleviated the problem -- If anyone has any ideas
>or suggestions for keeping the wire in the terminals it would be MOST
>appreciated.
>Any other comments / suggestions for my antenna system are also appreciated
>
>
>
>*I chose this setup to minimize the RF in the shack from the window line
>inside, and because my tuner (LDG AT200 Pro) does not have the proper
>outputs for window line
>
>
>Tim
>--
>Tim Holmes
>W8TAH - Amateur Extra Operator
>Medina County AEC
>Skywarn Advanced Storm Spotter Certified
>Certified Severe Weather Specialist
>StormNet Chase 9
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Jim Rhodes K0XU
jim at rhodesend.net

Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.