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Best Feedline for a QMX?
RG-213 has less loss at 14 MHz.
If you are only looking for minimum attenuation then some hardline is the answer but practically that isn't the only requirement. Do you need it to be portable?? Light?? Flexible?? Cost?? What are your main requirements?? Really though, for HF at 30', even RG-58 isn't bad. Joshua |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýI use RG8X myself. Better than RG58 and flexible and less expensive than RG213.73, Cliff, AE5ZA
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I would/do use RG-58A/U.? It has a solid polyethylene dielectric rather than foam, the center conductor is stranded, and it is cheaper than a lot of other options.? LRM-240 is big, has a foam dielectric, and solid center conductor.? RG-8X has foam dielectric.? Though RG-58A/U can't bend as tightly as RG-8X, I believe it will withstand more abuse due to the solid dielectric.? I may very well be wrong on that.??
At 30ft on 20m you would have something like .66dB loss with RG-58A/U.?? Joshua |
Rich,
I often eliminate the feedline by using an EFHW antenna or random wire antenna.? I use the K6ARK kits which build the balun right onto the BNC.? No feedline. When I do use coax (dipole or vertical), I keep the coax as short as possible, and use RG-316.? But I'll admit, I'm more often working SOTA than POTA, where lightweight gear is more necessary.? 73, Walt - KK4DF |
I strongly suggest LMR600, a good vise to support it so it doesn't flip over the QMX.
;-) Seriously, Not!! Any cable with quality connectors, RG316, RG58C/U, RG8X are all good. I do SSB at 5W on 20M for sport!? ?So don't overthink the idea of low power? being a handicap.? Just use a decent antenna, high enough. -- Allison ------------------ Post online only, please no email. |
600 Ohm Open Wire Line I do not know of a commercial manufacturer. But you can make it your self at fairly low cost.? I used Copper Coated Steel wire, nominal 22 gauge. For spacers I use finned tubular electric fence insulators. They are black plastic, UV Resistant, about six inches long. Buy skinny eight? inch tie wraps. You need two tie wraps per insulator. Thread two tie wraps through the hollow center of the tubular insulator. Butt the insulator up against the wire, pull the pointed end of insulator around a single conductor of copper coated steel wire. Do the same on the other end of the insulator using the second conductor of the copper coated steel wire. Pull the tie wraps taut until the insulator does not slide up of down the wire easily.? Space the insulators at about eight to ten inches apart. After making the length I need, I go back and put a dab of RTV on each end of the insulator to make it more slip resistant on the wire. Allow the RTV to cure overnight. Note: The RTV you want to use has an alcohol solvent as opposed to an acetic acid solvent. Acetic acid solvent RTV are usually the exception today. but they are around and will leach acid for months. Use of the alcohol solvent RTV will mitigate the corrosive nature of the acetic acid solvent product. Note: The finned tubular? electric fence insulators look like the one in the photo below. They are six inches long and come in packs of 200. Price is $20.00 from Kencove.???? Another manufacturer is Zareba. They are available in 4 inch and six inch lengths. The loss is on 2 orders of magnitude less than the best coax and one order of magnitude less than commercial ladder line.
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