[Antennas] Buried ladder line?

[Robert Lay]

Dear Tom,

You did not say how many feet total would be buried.

The field around ladder line is a function of the VSWR - 1:1 gives
essentially no significant field. Losses in soil 2 or more inches from a
ladder are probably no more, and probably less, than the losses in the
ladder line itself at high VSWR. The losses in ladder line are higher than
most people realize. It's only in open wire line with high quality
insulators that the losses become negligible.

I would go for the buried in pipe solution in a heartbeat. If you are a
dedicated, balanced line person, with a proper tuner to accomodate balanced
lines, you will never be happy with coax.

I just hope you are going to match this system with a proper tuner, such as
a Johnson Matchbox - not some bloody CLC tuner with a balun.