Baluns
Have to say I just don't like them. Probably more my fault than the balun's but they've just seemed to be another point of failure than useful for the antennas I use. They do work if used for their intended purpose, going from a balanced state to an unbalanced state. 'Nuff of that.
If you couldn't tell, I'm a fan of parallel feed lines, ladder line, whatever. I have a very nice tuner that will handle just about anything I've hooked to it, which is really saying something sometimes. The one in the HF radio ain't no slouch, but isn't as versatile as the big one. I've noticed that the amount of stuff I hear using ladder line typically increases from when using the same antenna with coax. Especially when using an antenna where it wasn't designed to be. The biggy with any type of parallel feed line is that it has much less loss and can withstand much more electrical 'abuse' than coax can. A high SWR can destroy coax, I haven't seen an SWR harm parallel feed line...yet. Got a 20:1 SWR? Who cares. You still have to stay sort of reasonable, but that 'sort of' has a much wider range...sort of.
Best advice for a multiband antenna using parallel feed line and a tuner is make it as long as possible. More/several wave lengths at the lowest frequency works very well @#$ near anywhere.
Then there's the qwerks, or down side of using parallel feed lines. Should be careful of what it's near, can't lay it on the ground or coil it up, it ain't 50 ohms. All of which can be 'got around', and is just different, not all that difficult. It typically doesn't like wet or snowy weather. (Open the window, whack it a few times with a broom stick, most of that goes away, sort of.)
Oh well, 'nuther who cares, just have fun with it!
- 'Doc
(Psst - just a lump of inductance ain't gonna make a 'trap'. Take another look at them wire segments.)
