Balun/Unun Construction: Mike, N1IW

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Balun/Unun Construction

Mike, N1IW
Outline

 1:1 & 4:1 Balun description


 Design Considerations
 Construction Materials
 Construction Steps
 Parts Sources
 Questions?
Balun Description
Baluns for Antennas

 Purpose
– Isolate transmission line from antenna
(suppresses “inverted-L mode”)
– Provide balanced output currents into unequal
dipole leg impedances
 Misconceptions
– Will affect antenna bandwidth
– Inefficient & prone to core saturation
– Provides lightening protection
Why a Balun?
The Basic Current Balun
The 4:1 Gaunella Current Balun
Design Considerations

 High choking reactance, 250Ω minimum


(limits low frequency response)
 Low stray capacitance
(limits high frequency response)
 Short transmission line, << ¼ wave
(The shorter, the better)
 High power handling
 Minimize resistive losses
 Correct core selection
 Robust mechanical design
Design Considerations
 Line Impedance, Z0
– For 1:1 make equal to load and line impedance
– For 4:1, make geometric mean of line and load impedance
(e.g., 50Ω to 200Ω requires 100Ω line)
 Transmission line examples
– Parallel line (wrap with Scotch No. 27 glass tape)
 50Ω: bifilar wound #14, wrap one wire with 1 layer of Scotch
No. 92 tape to control wire spacing
 100Ω: bifilar wound #14 + Teflon tubing
– 50Ω Coax
 RG303, RG142, RG400
 Enclosure
– Lightweight
– Mechanical integrity
– Weatherproof
Material Choices…

 Choose magnetics size for power


– ≤ 0.5” OD cores for QRP and receive applications
– 1.4”-1.5” OD cores for matched loads up to 1 kW
– 2.4” OD cores for reliable legal limit +
– Cores can also be stacked
 Choose magnetics material for frequency
– µ = 250 for 160M (K mix)
– µ = 125 for 80M and up (Q1, 61)
– µ = 40 for 20M and up (Q2, 67)
Rods and Donuts
Ferrite Core Examples (Amidon)
Part # O.D I.D lgt Material U

FT-23-61 0.230 inch 0.120 inch 0.060 inch 61 125

FT-37-61 0.375 inch 0.187 inch 0.125 inch 61 125

FT-50-61 0.500 inch 0.281 inch 0.188 inch 61 125

FT-50A-61 0.500 inch 0.312 inch 0.250 inch 61 125

FT-50B-61 0.500 inch 0.312 inch 0.500 inch 61 125

FT-82-61 0.825 inch 0.516 inch 0.250 inch 61 125

FT-87-61 0.870 inch 0.540 inch 0.250 inch 61 125

FT-114-61 1.141 inch 0.750 inch 0.295 inch 61 125

FT-114A-61 1.141 inch 0.750 inch 0.545 inch 61 125

FT-140-61 1.400 inch 0.900 inch 0.500 inch 61 125

FT-240-61 2.40 inch 1.400 inch 0.500 inch 61 125


Ferrite Core Examples (Amidon)

Part # O.D I.D lgt Material U Price US$

FT-140-61 1.400 inch 0.900 inch 0.500 inch 61 125 $3.75

FT-140-67 1.400 inch 0.900 inch 0.500 inch 67 40 $6.00

FT-150A-K 1.500 inch 0.750 inch 0.500 inch K 290 $12.95

FT-240-61 2.400 inch 1.400 inch 0.500 inch 61 125 $9.00

FT-240-67 2.400 inch 1.400 inch 0.500 inch 67 40 $19.50

FT-240-K 2.400 inch 1.400 inch 0.500 inch K 290 $18.50


Material Choices…

 Choose wire for power and Z0


– Thermaleze or Formvar enamel insulated wire
– #12, #14 for high power; #16, #18 for medium power
– Use tape, spaghetti or insulation to adjust wire spacing
– Smaller cores will require smaller wire diameter to get the
number of turns needed

 Use Scotch No. 27 glass tape to secure parallel lines


 50Ω Coax (RG303, RG142, RG400)
1:1 Designs (50Ω design objective)

 HP1: 10 bifilar turns #12 on 2.4” OD core; wrap one


wire with 2 layers of Scotch No. 92 tape
– µ of 250 for 160M/80M
– µ of 125 for 80M – 10M
– µ of 40 for 20M - 6M
 HP2: 10 bifilar turns #14 on 2.4” OD core ; wrap one
wire with 1 layers of Scotch 92 tape
 MP: 8 bifilar turns of #14 on 1.5” OD core (~45Ω)
 LP: 10 bifilar turns of #16 on 1.25” OD core
Coax or Parallel Line, 1:1
1:1 and 4:1 Examples
200Ω:50Ω Designs (100Ω design objective)

 Inputs (50Ω side) in parallel; outputs (200Ω side) in


series
 2 X 8 bifilar turns #14 on single 2.4” OD core
(cover each wire with teflon tubing)
 14-16 bifilar turns #14 on 2.4” OD core x 2 cores
(cover each wire with teflon tubing)
 Can substitute #14 solid house wire but take hit in
breakdown voltage
 LP: 14 bifilar turns #20 insulated hook-up wire on
each 1.25” OD core; 2 X 7 bifilar turns on single core
Efficiency (Sevick)

 250 for 160M / 80M


– 99% at 1.8 MHz, 97% at 30 MHz
 125 for 80M thru 10M
– 99% at 3.5 MHz, 98% at 30 MHz
 40 for 20M thru 10M
– 99% at 14 MHz and 30 MHz
Construction Steps
Taping the Magnetics
Winding the Torroid
Dressing the Leads
Lining Things Up
Balanced End Connection
Unbalanced End Connections
Getting Close…
A Handy Enclosure
Finished Prototype
Additional Reading…

 Lewallen’s Article
– www.eznec.com/Amateur/Articles/Baluns.pdf
 4:1 QRP Balun
– http://www.n0ss.net/qrp_4-1_guanella-type_balun.pdf
 Putting a Balun and a Tuner Together, W9CF
– http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/balun.pdf
 Hybrid Tuner Balun, ZS1AN
– http://www.arrl.org/qex/2005/qx9roos.pdf

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