[Elecraft] Balun

[Vic Rosenthal]

Richard Soennichsen wrote:

> Does the ladder line connect directly to the K2?

No, the K2 has unbalanced output.  But see below.

> Do I need a balun with this setup?

You need some means of connecting the ladder line to the K2 without 
unbalancing the feedline.  The best way to do this is with a true 
balanced tuner.  There are several on the market, or you can find an old 
Johnson Matchbox (made in the '50's or '60's, they are still around). 
I'm assuming that you want to use your antenna on more than one band.  A 
4-1 balun would work on 80 meters, but whether or not it would be 
useful, useless, or a hinderance on other bands depends on the feedline 
length.

Note that a balanced tuner, unbalanced tuner, a balun, or nothing at all 
will 'work', allowing you to make QSOs.  There will be differences in 
efficiency, noise pickup on reception, and possible RFI.

> If I cannot squeeze in the full 131" is it better to make the antenna
> shorter or can I run one end of the dipole around the edge of my (flat)
> rooftop to get 131'.  In otherwords one end of the dipole would be straight
> will the other would have a couple of doglegs.  This scenario is also
> appealling as it would place the feedline out of view of my wife.  (Feng
> Shui detractor)

If the legs are straight for about half their length, the doglegs would 
be better.  In general, I prefer bending the antenna to shortening it.

> Can I use pieces of plexiglass for insulators and dipole center assembly?

Yes, plexiglas is a very good insulator.

-- 
73
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno, CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco