[TowerTalk] Balun failure

[N4ZR]

I thought people might be interested in a recent experience.  I blew the 
center 4:1 balun on my Carolina Windom, which has been a very effective 
antenna for 80 and 40.  Took it apart, but since this reflector doesn't 
do images, let me describe what I found. The balun itself is very 
minimal - a single stick of ferrite a half inch in diameter and about 6 
inches long, wound with two windings of #14, 300V PVC-insulated stranded 
copper.  I run full legal power, and frankly, I would have expected the 
balun itself to have blown.  There's clear evidence of overheating, a 
lovely brown spot between the two leads which both go to the coax 
connector's center pin, and I thought perhaps the center pin had shorted 
to the shell underneath, but it is not, at least at ohmmeter voltage.  
Perhaps the RF voltage at that point causes a flashover.  So, the mystery

Meanwhile I have replaced it with a 5KW Balun Designs 4:1 balun 
specifically intended for this type of antenna.  It looks like a much 
more robust design

-- 
73, Pete N4ZR
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