I successfully made an 80 meter cage dipole using #14 THHN wire, and cut several pieces of 4" sewer pipe as spreaders. The feedpoint is a Jetstream 1:1 balun, and it is only at 37 feet because I actually want it for NVIS work. NOW, the feedpoint balun only had a so-259 connector coming out of it, but I converted back to 2 wire, and used my 300 ohm ladder line that I already had and ran that to my shack. I had coax, but I really wanted to use ladder line. This dipole works very well. (Even on 7 and 20 with a tuner) But it took me nearly all day to trim it to resonance,,,,, and this is where it gets tough.
Before I achieved success, I could NOT get the SWR to even come within reason no matter what I did. I would not doubt it having something to do with the before mentioned coax back to ladder line at the feedpoint. But I didnt want to use coax all the way to the shack. (hindsight, I probably should have skipped the jetstream feedpoint balun all together, but it made a handy hook)
It was not UNTIL I inserted an MFJ 3 in 1 balun at the shack end, and slid the slider to the 4:1 position, then the SWR dropped like a rock and I am sitting pretty at 1:2 SWR virtually across where I talk at. And the ohms dropped to almost 50. So now I have 2 baluns going on 1 dipole here. a 1:1 at the feedpoint and a 4:1 at the radio.
I really do not want to use the MFJ 4:1 balun at the radio end because it is only rated at 200 or so watts, but I have a 1 kilowatt amp. I looked at toroids to wind my own for a beefier solution but they are mightily expensive.
Is there some sort of quick dirty solution to avoid the 4:1 balun? I really hate to have to climb back up the tower but what if I eliminated the jetstream balun at the feedpoint? Would this cure it? Or maybe use 75 ohm section of coax at the radio end?
Before I achieved success, I could NOT get the SWR to even come within reason no matter what I did. I would not doubt it having something to do with the before mentioned coax back to ladder line at the feedpoint. But I didnt want to use coax all the way to the shack. (hindsight, I probably should have skipped the jetstream feedpoint balun all together, but it made a handy hook)
It was not UNTIL I inserted an MFJ 3 in 1 balun at the shack end, and slid the slider to the 4:1 position, then the SWR dropped like a rock and I am sitting pretty at 1:2 SWR virtually across where I talk at. And the ohms dropped to almost 50. So now I have 2 baluns going on 1 dipole here. a 1:1 at the feedpoint and a 4:1 at the radio.
I really do not want to use the MFJ 4:1 balun at the radio end because it is only rated at 200 or so watts, but I have a 1 kilowatt amp. I looked at toroids to wind my own for a beefier solution but they are mightily expensive.
Is there some sort of quick dirty solution to avoid the 4:1 balun? I really hate to have to climb back up the tower but what if I eliminated the jetstream balun at the feedpoint? Would this cure it? Or maybe use 75 ohm section of coax at the radio end?
