Cec sed,
" If Varney didn't intend to use the antenna on 80m and 40m, why
didn't he just feed it with coax?
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He was averse to feeding a balance antenna over an unbalanced line.
Went against the grain.

Coax was rarely used in his day and age anyway. Too heavy and
expensive.

Everything was open wire. Home made. Couldn't buy it.

Transmitters had tuned tanks and link coupling to openwire line.

And he didn't like RF in the shack. Or radiation from the feedline.
TV's used 45 MHz - the 3rd harmonic of 20 metres.

But most likely, it didn't occur to him.
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Reg.