"Jim-NN7K" . wrote in message
...
Sal M. Onella wrote:
I recently handled an estate sale. Among the SK's posessions was a
one-foot
piece of RG-8 or RG-213 which he had carefully modified by cutting away
about 3/16 inch of the jacket and braid all around the circumference of
the
cable, near its middle.

I am not sure what use this would be to a ham. Some audio cables are
made
up with discontinuous shields for elimination of ground loops but I've
not
seen it done for RF.

Ideas?


All the above have merit-- One other use- in SOME installations, there
is a requirement to do D.C. isolation - Removal ot part of the sheath,
jumpered by a Capacitor (but if that is what this for, the cap would
be in place). And, as to the first comment, such a loop would have been
used as a direction Finder (the space between the broken shields was
the "sense area of the loop, and, if remember right, you "Null" in the
direction that the "loop" is perpendicular to. - Jim NN7K

Thanks to all. I really think we have it nailed down.

After the first response mentioned a small loop, I did some searching and
found diagrams of loops, complete with some recommended tuning capacitors,
etc. Today, I dimly recall a metal project box with three coax connectors
on it. (Might still have it if it didn't sell.) My first thought was
"balun" but a homemade balun doesn't have three coax connectors -- it has
just one plus two non-coax connectors. THAT may have been the feed part of
the loop. I don't recall if anything else was in that box.

With the gap section and the feed section, then various pairs of coax
jumpers would have comprised the remainder of the loop for different
experimental sizes. I s'pose I should follow in the SK's footsteps and
build myself a loop or two.

Ain't hammin' grand?!?