[TowerTalk] Best Balun

[Wilson]

Some of my points may not have been obvious and there were a couple of comments.
1.  The question was about 1:1 baluns.  Transformers for other impedances are obviously great.
2.  My remarks about loss were meant to say that it’s hard to imagine any device with less loss than the eight feet of coax in my choke.
        And that advertising and endless “recommendations” have made people buy things just because they are stylish, not because they are necessary.
3.  As for balance, there’s a good bit of impedance in a wavelength or two of coax shield, so I doubt if the shield end at the top is actually very near ground.  
        This is mentioned in the list of factors someone gave.  No doubt, but how much does it affect the pattern?  Suppose the coax were inside the mast?
4.  What about an antenna floating in space?  Would balance be an issue?  As long as current flows in the element and nowhere else, won’t it work as expected?
        It would be interesting to put an ammeter in each side of the driven element and see what is actually happening.
5.  I can afford my equipment, but $100 is still real money to quite a few people and I think it’s important for them to prioritize their ham needs.  If they can 
        radiate within a dB or two with something free, I think the money would be better used elsewhere.
6.  I’m not competent to make analytical arguments about which choke is best, but rather I maintain that using the ARRL choke and getting the Z of the choke close to ten times the feedline Z 
       is likely to be all anyone needs.  I never meant to imply that the choke is not a good idea.
7.  All my most rewarding ham experiences have revolved around designing, building, repairing, repurposing, salvaging and trying to learn a little along the way.  The charm of store bought
        equipment fades very quickly after the box is opened and, of course, nothing is learned.  Once it’s all working, it only takes a little operating to make me want to rig up something else!
        After 57 years on the air, I’m still amazed that our puny efforts can be heard around the world.  Doing it with a 6L6 or 807 is ten times the fun of doing it with a K-3!
73,
WL