Variable stub
For us inner city people who would like to operate the 160 meter cw contest,
a 160 meter dipole is out of the question. Even an 80 meter wire is not
possible.
Modeling a 14 gauge copper 68 foot dipole on 2 Mhz at 35 feet over real
ground shows a feedpoint impedance of 7-j2700 ohms. This translates to a
3.11 dB total loss in a 50 foot long low-loss open wire feedline. If the
2700 ohm reactance can be eliminated, the total line loss becomes a more
much acceptable .25 dB. This can be accomplished with a stub but that is
good at only one frequency.
If the antenna copper loss is excluded in the simulation, Z is 2.8-j2700
ohms and the feedline loss is still less than 1 dB after reactance
cancellation.
Use two parallel feedlines. Clip a 60 foot line onto the dipole. Connect a
30 microhenry high Q variable or roller coil at the station end and adjust
it for +j2700 ohms at the antenna end. This acts as a variable stub. Voila!
the reactance is cancelled out.
Notwithstanding the lowered radiating efficiency of a short dipole or the
match loss introduced by the antenna tuner, at least the line loss is
minimized to an acceptable level.
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