Fw: Fw: Re: [Antennas] 450 Ohm Ladder Line

Joe Giacobello, K2XX [email protected]
Thu, 12 Dec 2002 15:48:30 -0500


Well, roughly speaking, your 100 watts is more like 25 watts and your 
600 watts is more like 150 watts with 6 dB loss.  Six dB is the typical 
gain one gets with a three element tribander, obviously not small change.

73, Joe

E. Jerold Forwood wrote:

>Excuse me!  I forgot!  How many db's does it take to equal one S unit? 
>In the far field?
>How much less is the guy on the other end apt to hear me when I am
>running my linear at 600 Watts v/s barefoot at 100 Watts?
>73's de Jerry, K�EJF
>
>On Thu, 12 Dec 2002 13:25:37 -0500 "Joe Giacobello, K2XX" <[email protected]>
>writes:
>  
>
>>I happened to save a copy of some test measurements that Tom, W8JI, 
>>made 
>>with 450 ohm ladder line back a few years ago.  The experimental 
>>data 
>>show that there is substantial loss when burying the line in PVC 
>>pipe. 
>> His report is pasted below.
>>
>>73, Joe
>>
>>You will be amazed at the attenuation caused by the soil, 
>>especially if you allow the ladderline to get near the wall of the 
>>buried pipe.
>>
>>Balanced lines have a strong field extending at least a few 
>>conductor spacings outside the line in a plane in-line with the flat 
>>
>>part of the line, and to a lesser extent broadside to that plane 
>>REGARDLESS of the fact they might have little far-field radiation.
>>
>>My original post was:
>>
>>Since no one knows what happens when open wire line is buried, I 
>>measured some today. The line was heavy duty one inch spaced 
>>twinline, with 14 gauge stranded conductors. The measured dry 
>>impedance of a 50 foot dry sample was 328 ohms, although the 
>>line is advertised as 450 ohm line.
>>
>>Digital photographs are available if anyone wants to put this on a 
>>Web Site. 
>>
>>50 foot 15 MHz loss measured with Wiltron Network Analyzer 
>>(matched line conditions in every case):
>>
>>Dry line suspended in air= .12 dB
>>
>>Dry line laid on 3 inch tall dry grass, held up off the dirt unknown 
>>
>>amount by the fairly thick grass= .83 dB
>>
>>Dry line pulled in 2" PVC white plumbing pipe laying on grass = 
>>1.55 dB
>>
>>Dry line buried 3-6 inches deep in PVC pipe in fairly dry dirt =  
>>4.12 
>>dB
>>
>>Same dry line in same pipe with dirt soaked with hose = 6.81 dB
>>
>>Same dry line back in air = .15 dB
>>
>>Line being wet down with heavy mist = .63 dB
>>
>>Line slightly wet but not being misted for several minutes = .28 dB
>>
>>Line was rematched to eliminate mismatch loss as impedance 
>>changed, and matching network loss zeroed-out with analyzer.
>>
>>
>>73, Tom W8JI
>>[email protected]
>>
>>
>>
>>Dan Richardson wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>At 12:35 PM 12/11/2002 -0600, you wrote:
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>On the other hand...........
>>>>
>>>>* Ladder line tests were performed at 50MHz to 150Mhz 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>(instrumentation
>>    
>>
>>>>   limitation) where losses are greater  .....not at HF, 160m - 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>10m
>>    
>>
>>>Knowing those values it is easy to calculate the losses at lower 
>>>frequencies. The formula is given in the article.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>* Many of the tests were performed with Wireman Type 554 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>....should
>>    
>>
>>>>   also use the larger AWG.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Not so. He measured Wireman's numbers 551, 552, 553 & 554 the 
>>>      
>>>
>>results 
>>    
>>
>>>are shown in Table 1.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>* The premise is that you are trying to load random length 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>dipoles 
>>    
>>
>>>>due to
>>>>   space limitations .....the antennas I feed are "tuned 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>dipoles".
>>    
>>
>>>I believe he was cautioning that substantial losses can and will 
>>>      
>>>
>>take 
>>    
>>
>>>place feeding short (less 3/8-wavelength) dipoles with window 
>>>      
>>>
>>line.
>>    
>>
>>>>* Wet measurements are made by wetting the line, including an 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>open wire
>>    
>>
>>>>   "reference line" which had NO change (indicates that a high 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>moisture
>>    
>>
>>>>   "mist" dielectric was not considered) .....this also implies 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>that the
>>    
>>
>>>>change
>>>>   in impedance and attenuation shown is due to a wet ladder web 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>only.
>>    
>>
>>>>   Making the web smaller should help this.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Mist? Really? And how are you going to qualify that one and make 
>>>      
>>>
>>it 
>>    
>>
>>>repeatable?
>>>
>>>Both wet and dry measurement are shown. (Again Table 1)
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>I'd also like to know, for a HF antenna system, do you get more 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>power
>>    
>>
>>>>radiated by the resonant antenna if 1) you have an impedance 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>mismatch
>>    
>>
>>>>of  9:1 (with it's resultant SWR) between 200ft of 450ohm 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>transmission
>>    
>>
>>>>line and the 50ohm antenna .....or 2) if you use a toroidial 9:1
>>>>transformer
>>>>(with it's loss) between the balanced transmission line and the 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>balanced
>>    
>>
>>>>antenna ?
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>The article addresses the window line losses only. For comparisons 
>>>      
>>>
>>>with other systems you're going to have to dig deeper elsewhere.
>>>
>>>Danny
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Fun stuff.
>>>>
>>>>73  Kees K5BCQ
>>>>
>>>>--------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>From: Sandy and Kees Talen <[email protected]>
>>>>To: [email protected]
>>>>Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 11:06:33 -0600
>>>>Subject: Fw: Re: [Antennas] 450 Ohm Ladder Line
>>>>
>>>>Great article, thanks Dan. It's always good to see real data, 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>determined
>>    
>>
>>>>using a controlled experiment, and excellent test equipment.
>>>>
>>>>73  Kees K5BCQ
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>>From: Dan Richardson <[email protected]>
>>>>To: [email protected]
>>>>Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 08:24:01 -0800
>>>>Subject: Re: [Antennas] 450 Ohm Ladder Line
>>>>Message-ID: 
>>>>        
>>>>
>><[email protected]>
>>    
>>
>>>>For those interested here is URL which provides a very through 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>analysis
>>    
>>
>>>>on
>>>>this subject.
>>>>
>>>>http://users.triconet.org/wesandlinda/ladder_line.pdf
>>>>
>>>>Danny, K6MHE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>No trees were destroyed in the sending of this message.
>>>>However, a large number of electrons were terribly 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>inconvenienced.
>>    
>>
>>>>- - -
>>>>
>>>>Your moderator for this list is:
>>>>Larry Wilson KE1HZ [email protected]
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>Antennas mailing list
>>>>[email protected]
>>>>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/antennas
>>>>- - -
>>>>
>>>>Your moderator for this list is:
>>>>Larry Wilson KE1HZ [email protected]
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>Antennas mailing list
>>>>[email protected]
>>>>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/antennas
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Danny
>>>K6MHE
>>>
>>>No trees were destroyed in the sending of this message.
>>>However, a large number of electrons were terribly 
>>>      
>>>
>>inconvenienced.
>>    
>>
>>>- - -
>>>Your moderator for this list is:
>>>Larry Wilson KE1HZ [email protected]
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Antennas mailing list
>>>[email protected]
>>>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/antennas
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>- - - 
>>
>>Your moderator for this list is:
>>Larry Wilson KE1HZ [email protected]
>>_______________________________________________
>>Antennas mailing list
>>[email protected]
>>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/antennas
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>
>
>E. Jerold (Jerry) Forwood
>
>
>  
>