[TowerTalk] ladder line

[Tim N9PUZ]

van fair wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience using a DPDT relay to send  both
> sides of ladder line to ground  to disconnect it from your tuner
> instead of using a knife switch . The relay would be mounted in a
> metal box and the ladder line would  be connected to the relay
> inside the box with banana plug leads into and back out of the box.
> The relay would be a high current DPDT 12 volt relay.
> 
> A quick test passing the ladder line straight  through a 5" long
> grounded alum box caused no change in the SWR on 80 and 30 meters.
> The ladder line will only be used and 80 and 30 meters. Thanks Van
> W4GIW 

If you are doing this to protect the radios, etc. when not in use I 
would be concerned that the narrow gap between the contacts might 
easily be jumped by lightning.

Tim, N9PUZ