[Elecraft] KX1 Antenna Idea

[Bob Cunnings]

On 9/10/05, Martin Gillen <martingillen at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>  
> I know that coax can be looped around 5 times to
> create
> a balun near the dipole feedpoint.  Can twisted pair
> be looped around to create a balun also?

Sure, a 1:1 choke balun can be made with twinlead as well as coax feedline.
 
I've been having good results lately with a speaker wire doublet
antenna cut for 30 meters, which my KX1 tunes up nicely on all 3 bands
with a feedline length of 40'. I made 9 turns with the last 18" or so
of the (twinlead speaker wire) feedline through a T140-43 ferrite
toroid to create a 1:1 choke balun. A couple of nylon tie wraps bind
the feedline to the toroid securely. A 4" pigtail was left over which
I terminated with a cheap RS BNC connector for attachment to the KX1.
No enclosure, no connectors, nice and simple, not as bulky as an
airwound balun, but admittedly a bit heavier.
 
 Bob NW8L