[Elecraft] re:Baluns - give me a kit!

[Sandy, W5TVW]

Subject: [Elecraft] re:Baluns - give me a kit!


| Baluns are not particularly difficult to make - the only problem is finding the
| correct ferrite for the torroid.  As already stated there is plenty of design
| information on the internet.
| 
This is very true!  I have made baluns, especially for QRP, using small ferrite
core from around 3/4" diameter to 1-1/2" cores, many times not knowing the
permeability of the core!  I use ordinary stranded #20 or #22 Guage "zip"
speaker wire (2 conductor parallel flat type).  One can wind the bifilar 10
turns on the core and interconnect the windings easily.  I have checked out
most of them with a General Radio 1606A RF bridge and find them
doing what they are supposed to with a minimum of reactance from
80 thru 15 meters.  I very rarely operate 10 meters at all, and not on 160
with QRP!

The number of turns isn't at all critical.  I have wound large ones with
4.5 inch cores stacked for a kilowatt rig.  These usually wrapped with
fiberglass tape first and wound with #12 or #14 enamelled wire.
One can even use insulated wire from a scrap of Roamex cable
in a pinch.  This would be overkill for 5 watts or less!  The little
1/2" ferrite cores and #26 enamelled wire work fine in these
at the 5 watt level!

73,
Sandy W5TVW