Apparently it makes more difference to me than it does to you.
I don't want it digging into the tree branches.
That's a fair point. The sag in a dipole supported only at the ends is
very sensitive to the suspended weight in the middle. And if the end
supports are trees, the problem can become extreme.
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Yes, I use trees whenever possible - and install the antenna with a
bow-and-arrow
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Nothing wrong with your view - its probably a better-informed view than
mine - but I'll still use balanced line and I still think baluns are too
heavy. I'm just hard-headed that way. :-)
If sag is a problem, don't use 300 or 450-ohm ladder line. In terms of
weight and windage, it is a very bad solution. A much more practical
solution is to make your own ultra-lightweight parallel line. The wire
can be much thinner than the main antenna, and you can use a spacing of
several inches with the absolute minimum number of ultra-lightweight
spreaders.
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Usually 300-ohm twin lead is light enough
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But more important than that, please stop calling it "balanced line".
Somehow we have got into the habit of kidding ourselves that
parallel-wire line is balanced line. It isn't!
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When I use a balun to feed it - then its balanced line - and that's what I
was talking about.
But I see your point
Henceforth I dub it "twinlead"
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Parallel line does NOT automatically balance itself. It will cheerfully
allow unequal currents on the two wires. That's the same as saying it
will cheerfully support an unwanted common-mode current (same magnitude
and same direction on both wires) in addition to the wanted
equal-and-opposite currents.
So parallel line will NOT be balanced line - not until you have done
something to MAKE it balanced.
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(Like using a BalUn ??
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Thanks for your input
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