pre-K2 build Q's

[Lloyd Lachow]

   I have an Elecraft BL1 balun, and I suppose it's
the thing to use to match my impending K2 to my two
balanced-fed antlers. I've been using a ZM-2 to tune
these, and so the feedline terminates in bananner
plugs. I'm thinking I should solder an alligator clip
to a short length of stout hookup wire, screw the
hookup wire to the terminals on the balun, and clip
the gators to the 'nanner plugs. Anyone have a more
elegant solution?

  Also, I see that you can order a tilt-stand for the
EC2, but not for the K2 - does this mean that the K2
is supplied with a tilt-stand?

  Thanks,

   LL/K3ESE


               
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[Mike WA8BXN]

Lloyd -
I think Radio Shack still sells dual 5 way binding posts that are spaced for
a dual banana plug (which fits nicely on the end of ladder line). Makes for
a secure yet easily removed connection. I would try to stay away from those
gator clips as being too easy to accidentally pull off the banana plugs.
 
The K2 comes with a heavy "wire" tilt stand on the bottom.
 
73/72 - Mike WA8BXN
 
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[Lloyd Lachow]

--- Mike WA8BXN <[hidden email]> wrote:
> Lloyd -
> I think Radio Shack still sells dual 5 way binding
> posts that are spaced for
> a dual banana plug (which fits nicely on the end of
> ladder line). Makes for
> a secure yet easily removed connection. I would try
> to stay away from those
> gator clips as being too easy to accidentally pull
> off the banana plugs.

  Yes, BUT...the deal here is that the balun has only
these funky li'l screw terminals on the feedline end.
I wish there was an RF connector there, but there
isn't. In the light of that, how would you attach
banana plugs to the screw terminals securely?

   LL


               
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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

LL/K3ESE wrote:

 I have an Elecraft BL1 balun... I've been using a ZM-2 to tune these, and
so the feedline terminates in bananner plugs. I'm thinking I should solder
an alligator clip to a short length of stout hookup wire, screw the hookup
wire to the terminals on the balun, and clip the gators to the 'nanner
plugs. Anyone have a more elegant solution?

  Also, I see that you can order a tilt-stand for the
EC2, but not for the K2 - does this mean that the K2
is supplied with a tilt-stand?
---------------------------------------

BL1 connectors:

I like banana plugs and jacks for open wire lines, end fed wires and other
antenna not using coaxial cable too. For my BL1 I found in my junque box
some low-profile banana jacks that mount using a 4-40 threaded stud. They
look a lot like Mouser P/N 164R101B although I'm sure mine came from a Radio
Shack some time in the long past. The Mouser version from Kobiconn doesn't
give the threaded shaft size, but it looks like it might be #6 and might
actually simply thread into the current terminal in place of the little
thumb nut.

My jacks with the 4-40 shafts slipped through the threaded holes for the
thumb nuts and I secured each one with a nut on the back. The 4-40 nut just
fits in the space.

Now I have three banana jacks - two red for the feeders and one black for
the ground - that will accept banana plugs or, by unscrewing the nylon 'nut'
a wire through the hole in the jack body. The "wire through hole" attachment
is more secure than the thumb nut in any case.

Whatever version you use just be sure that the insulated plastic parts of
the jacks do *not* touch each other. The great downside to using banana
plugs and jacks at RF is that all the banana jacks that I've seen use Nylon
for insulation. Nylon is hydroscopic and makes an abysmal insulator at RF.
Even the Kobiconn jacks from Mouser lists Nylon as the insulation.

The insulated parts of the jacks on mine clear each other by about 1/16
inch.

Tilt Stand:

Yep. The K2 comes with the tilt-up stand.


Ron AC7AC


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[Don Wilhelm-3]

Lloyd,

Her is one way to adapt screw terminals to banana jacks securely to the BL1.
Mount UNinsulated an banana jack (Mouser 565-3267) in a small, short strip
of metal (aluminum, thick copper, or even a cut-off piece of one of those
metal plates on a junk computer card).  Of course, you will need 2 jacks and
2 strips of the metal - drill each strip of metal with 2 holes, one large
enough to insert the banana jack at one end and the other large enough to
clear the screw threads on the Balun terminals.  How secure it will hold the
jacks depends on the stiffness and lenght of your metal strips.

73,
Don W3FPR

> -----Original Message-----
>
>   Yes, BUT...the deal here is that the balun has only
> these funky li'l screw terminals on the feedline end.
> I wish there was an RF connector there, but there
> isn't. In the light of that, how would you attach
> banana plugs to the screw terminals securely?
>
>    LL
>

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