RE: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
Kevin I use DPDT relays here to switch my 450 ohm feedlines. Works very well. 73, Bob N6WG -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Kevin Rock Sent: Monday, July 18, 2005 5:03 PM To: Elecraft; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas I have a fancy switch for A/B antenna testing for coaxially fed antennas but do not know what folks use for antenna switches with antennas fed by ladder lines. I want to compare a 160 meter full wave loop fed with homebrew ladder line to a G5RV fed by 450 window line. Any suggestions? I knife switch of some sort like we used in grade school science labs in the '60s? Or is there something more modern? Kevin. KD5ONS -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.9.1/51 - Release Date: 7/18/2005 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
I have a fancy switch for A/B antenna testing for coaxially fed antennas but do not know what folks use for antenna switches with antennas fed by ladder lines. I want to compare a 160 meter full wave loop fed with homebrew ladder line to a G5RV fed by 450 window line. Any suggestions? I knife switch of some sort like we used in grade school science labs in the '60s? Or is there something more modern? Kevin. KD5ONS -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.9.1/51 - Release Date: 7/18/2005 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
Kevin, KD5ONS wrote: I have a fancy switch for A/B antenna testing for coaxially fed antennas but do not know what folks use for antenna switches with antennas fed by ladder lines. I want to compare a 160 meter full wave loop fed with homebrew ladder line to a G5RV fed by 450 window line. Any suggestions? --- One of the problems you run into A/B testing is that you can't wait for a re-tune. Any delay more than a fraction of a second is too long under most conditions unless you're working on a very long wavelength (160/80 meters) and testing ground wave signals. So the smart thing to do is to put a proper matching network at the end of each ladder line, then switch the 50-ohm coaxial links to the rig. If you're not sure of your matching networks, reverse them after collecting data and make sure you get the same results. Ron AC7AC ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
Kevin, If you have a KAT2 or a KAT100, that switch is built in. Connect each feedline to a 1:1 current balun and a short piece of coax to the tuner - Pre-tune each antenna before your comparison, and the ANT 1/2 button will switch them for you. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- I have a fancy switch for A/B antenna testing for coaxially fed antennas but do not know what folks use for antenna switches with antennas fed by ladder lines. I want to compare a 160 meter full wave loop fed with homebrew ladder line to a G5RV fed by 450 window line. Any suggestions? I knife switch of some sort like we used in grade school science labs in the '60s? Or is there something more modern? Kevin. KD5ONS -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.9.0/50 - Release Date: 7/16/2005 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
Thank you for the fine suggestions and nice photos. John, W2AGN, you and my father would have enjoyed each other's hand built cases. He crafted one for each of his hobbies. He was trained as a cabinet maker by my great grandfather. It looks like I will take bits from each idea and use a relay to do some of the work. As usual I'll kluge a few ideas together until I get what I want. Since I use a chart to tune each antenna I don't worry about matching rapidly. While I am running my nets I have been known to jump from my ladder line fed G5RV to a coaxially fed G5RV and back again while calling by retuning on the fly from my charts for the various antennas. My auto tuner is a bit old fashioned: I use my eyes, my head, and my hand ;) Keeps me thinking while I am copying code and trying to dig out a faint one. I am unsure where I can find a knife switch but I do like the idea of the barrier strips. I use them to keep our phone lines working and up out of the reach of the ravenous gnawing critters who've broken our Internet connection more than once. Those mountain lions come in handy for clearing a swath out of the critter gene pool ;) I wish I still had my stock of telephone stepping relays. I had a few dozen new in box I could have used to craft some nifty antenna switches. However a few relays in a binary tree could be used to open quite a number of possibilities. The trees are only getting taller so I could have any number of open line and ladder line fed test antennas. A good switching system is all that stands in my way. Onward to destiny! Or: Ad astra per aspera! Kevin. KD5ONS On Mon, 18 Jul 2005 17:02:53 -0700, Kevin Rock [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have a fancy switch for A/B antenna testing for coaxially fed antennas but do not know what folks use for antenna switches with antennas fed by ladder lines. I want to compare a 160 meter full wave loop fed with homebrew ladder line to a G5RV fed by 450 window line. Any suggestions? I knife switch of some sort like we used in grade school science labs in the '60s? Or is there something more modern? Kevin. KD5ONS -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.9.1/51 - Release Date: 7/18/2005 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
On Jul 18, 2005, at 6:35 PM, Kevin Rock wrote: I am unsure where I can find a knife switch but I do like the idea of the barrier strips. It's not a great one, but Radio Shack #275-1537 costs $2.99 and will do the trick. - Jack Brindle, W6FB - ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] A/B antenna switch for ladder line fed antennas
I have thought of pairing up a 4-position Alpha-Delta coax switch back-to-back, but time and expense have prevented it. I have also thought through a few schematics to do it remotely to my attic with relays. But here's a simple homebrew one (http://www.io.com/~n5fc/ant_sw.htm) I found at N5ESE's site (http://www.io.com/~n5fc/). There's some good info here. David, K3TUE --- Kevin Rock [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have a fancy switch for A/B antenna testing for coaxially fed antennas but do not know what folks use for antenna switches with antennas fed by ladder lines. I want to compare a 160 meter full wave loop fed with homebrew ladder line to a G5RV fed by 450 window line. Any suggestions? I knife switch of some sort like we used in grade school science labs in the '60s? Or is there something more modern? Kevin. KD5ONS -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.9.1/51 - Release Date: 7/18/2005 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
