[Elecraft] To Balun or not to Balun?

[Jack Shrawder]

I'm in the process of gathering materials for a 1.5 to 2.0 wavelength
80-meter, horizontal loop for my K2-100. The articles that I have read leav=
e
me confused on one issue--well probably more than one--but is it necessary
or desirable to place a balun  1:1 or 4:1 or even 9:1 at the juncture of th=
e
RG8 from the K2-100 to the point where the 450 ohm ladder line begins?

The ladder line will terminate at a corner of the proposed loop?  Some olde=
r
QST articles just say feed the loop with 50 ohm coax and let the antenna
tuner take care of any mismatch. Other sources recommend a balun but seem t=
o
think even a 1:1 ratio is OK. Wouldn't a 9:1 balun be ideal to match the 50
coax to the 450 ladder line? I'd like to optimize the system for best
signal.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

73 and thanks,

Jack

Jack H. Shrawder, KT6JS
Publisher Teaching For Success
South Lake Tahoe, CA
A+ Faculty Development
=B3Success Is Our Only Option=B2 David Borges DC.