"Howard Kowall" wrote in message
news:WImri.17500$fJ5.3405@pd7urf1no...
I have just built a 80 mtr dipole c/w 1:1 balun ,feed with RG8X coax
works great, really dont even need a tuner(which i am trying to get away
from)
here is what i want to do.I would like to get 40mtrs on it,without using
tuner,so I want to use a couple of latching realys to open the dipole up
at
the 40 mtr section of the dipole,1 relay for each leg.
I want to use latching relays so they do not have to be energized when i
am
on 80mtr portion or viseversa if i use the normally closed contact.I was
going to feed 1 end of the realy coil from the sheild of the coax and run
1
wire for the other side of the coil to my switch point.Does anyone have a
better idea on how to do this or is this all a waste of time.If this is ok
to do and worth it does anyone have a realy PRT# I could use,I only run
100
watts max
Also i have tried to strap on a 40mtr dipole to the 80mtr and the 40 would
not tune at all and I dont have the room to run the 40mtr dipole away from
the 80mtr
thanx
Howard

My friend K6SJA described an elegant approach to this problem, so no, it's
not a waste of time.

At the two points where you need to open the elements, insert pull-chain
operated switches. Home Depot has them -- I just bought a couple of them
this month for use in lighting fixtures. Each switch can be rigidly mounted
to a flat fiber insulator and the pull-chains extended with twine through
pulleys near one or both of the antenna's end supports. (This way, you're
not pulling straight down in the middle of the elements and maybe breaking
something.) Whether to operate both switches from one end of the antenna is
your choice.

I don't know max power tolerance. I suppose if you cooked one switch, you
could next try two.

Besides the rather smallish Home Depot switches, I have seen beefier
versions that were built into lamp sockets.

73, OM

"Sal"