I just took #609 along with an old Bencher paddle and the Elecraft balun for a
week of antenna rigging at 9H3BW's Bugibba apartment. I also took enough
wire, ladderline and tools to make a G5RV style dipole on the apartment roof.
Nobody asked to look inside my hand baggage or inside the holdall full of
wire. Getting a visitor license to operate as 9H3CW was even easier....
I made 274 contacts in 59 countries in under a week of intermittent mostly
rag chew operating, including a least one with another K2 owner. The balun
was just 3 feet from the K2; the G5RV is 8-10 feet above the roof and over
100 feet above the sea .. It loads OK on all bands 10-80. No problems at all.
We then tried the same setup with 9H3BW's FT847, LDG tuner and 100w. Again no
problems. At the 100w level the Elecraft balun worked as well as my homebrew
2 kW balun and it is a lot lighter.
Incidentally I have repackaged the Elecraft balun into a rigid plastic box
featuring both SO239 and BNC input connectors. The balanced output goes from
the PC board terminals to a hefty screw terminal block on the outside of the
box. I think it makes a neater and less vulnerable installation for field
use, especially if it rains ... It did not rain in Malta, but it did hit
40C. Rigging the antenna in that heat was a chore.
Next operation by 9H3CW is scheduled for late September.
John G3JAG
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