[TowerTalk] Rehash of 80 CW/SSB Switchable Dipole/Vee

[Bob K6UJ]

The alligator clips would not be satisfactory.
You are setting it up for 1500W.  The high voltage points
on a dipole are at the ends and alligator clips and will very likely 
cause arcing. What I did on my 80M inverted V so I can operate on CW and 
SSB was to use 2, good quality in line banana plugs and jacks
in parallel on each end to jumper in the extra length of wire for CW.  
Maybe one banana plug and jack
would have been OK but the two in parallel worked fine.   And I could 
sleep better at night :-)

73,
Bob
K6UJ


On 4/25/16 9:57 AM, CJ Johnson wrote:
> Howdy-
>
> I have been working on rebuilding my 80M dipole setup for camping and the
> fall/winter contest season.. My one main question is I know that I can make
> the ends for SSB, tune it where i want (most likely 3800).. then on the
> other side of the insulator, add the extra length for CW and tune that
> portion (~3550).
>
> I *don't* have a pressing need to have this remotely switchable or other
> things as discussed in the archives -- a semi fancy matching setup, etc.
> Given that the dipole is temporary in nature, it doesn't pain me to walk
> outside and clip on the CW section when I want to.
>
> That brings me to a couple questions maybe someone can help:
>
> 1) The dipole is being constructed with materials to handle 1500W (balun,
> wires, etc.) -- Will this extra length of wire for CW arc where I "clip" it
> on to add the extra length at the end of the SSB wire running 1500W?
>
> 2) Given that it's "temporary", how would one suggest constructing the
> point where I switch from SSB to CW.. Alligator clips? There may be a
> potential for exposure to the elements (mostly rain and some snow).
>
> Thanks,
> WT2P
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