On Jul 20, 9:54*pm, Roy Lewallen wrote:
While the loss
specifications of dry ladder line in an ideal environment are
attractive, it can easily become much lossier than coax when wet and in
close proximity to lossy materials such as leaves or damp wood.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

I've got a UHF TV antenna that I use for 420 mhz ATV
reception. It's one of those corner reflector type deals
with a lot of elements.
In comparing 300 ohm twin lead vs 75 ohm coax, the
twin lead had the lowest loss when dry.
Or at least with the Belden "duo-shield" cable I was using.
But if it got wet, the twin lead loss was quite major.
I'd go from a clear picture to half snow..
I'd have to wait for it to slowly dry off to get my picture back.
I don't really use much ladder line as I prefer coax
for my everyday antennas.
But if I did, I would use a line with mostly air between
the conductors. Which means I'd probably make my own.
But the ladder line with the gaps in the plastic would
be better than twin lead.