In the third part of our series we complement our 1:1 Balun with a 4:1 version. Focus is again excellent common mode attenuation and first class SWR matching. All for high HF output ..
I also fully agree, I always found complicated understand the way a balun works, with this series of videos devotes to balun I feel enough confident to get into the interesting part of the electronic
It is absolutely the best explanation I have ever heard. I did not understand how the 1:4 impedance matching transformer worked until I watched this demonstration. Thank you. Excellent Job!
He is one of the very few technical teachers on TH-cam, (or in college,) who can explain things so even I can understand them, not just 'learn' them but UNDERSTAND them. Even with his odd accent, pronunciations, word choices, and syntax he STILL communicates for free far better than any professor whose salary I was paying.
Thank you for providing such excellent videos. I saw where one individual was critical of you for taking so much time to explain what was on your video. Anyone that thinks it is too long can easily zoom ahead or click it off. Keep providing your knowledge to help us learn the correct way to build balun/chokes using the most efficient toroid material.
I'm watching this series of videos for the second time because there is so much good stuff to learn, I need to watch it at least twice to take it all in. You have put a lot of work into this and I'm very grateful. I wonder how many people you have saved from radio interference and how many rigs you have saved from too higher SWR! Thank-you.
Hello my friend, I, I've been a radio amateur for 37 years I have made many baluns that was not good, after I followed you here on youtube (Now, I understand what it is all about), I made a balun according to your recipe it's the most amazing data I've seen from my mvna. Thanks
You answered a question I had about "daisy chaining" 1:1 followed by other ratios of baluns for both matching and CMR. I love the "unfolding" explanation of the phasing. Your numbers stand behind your construction. Well done!!
Thank you Peter for a very informative and useful series of videos. I will get to making my 9:1 Balun and 1:1 as soon as the wire arrives. This is probably the best tutorial on the subject. Thanks again
Thank you for this education. I just put up a new OFC Dipole using a balun I built per your instructions. It supposed to work from 80 meters to 10 meters BUT I can also tune it to the bottom of 160 meters. My MFJ-929 Intellituner easily tunes on all frequencies. Very happy with the results. 👍🏻👍🏻
Awesome series! You should put all your vids on DVDs and offer them for sale. Excellent tutorials and hands on. You have inspired me to get back to the bench and start building again. I have several piles of parts to build projects you have covered. 73, Jim.
Hello Peter First let me say THANK YOU for showing us how to wind baluns. You explain everything very well. I am grateful for your use of the English language which made it possible for me to learn this art of baluns. I have made several 1:1 and 4:1 baluns while following your videos. I am trying to apply the mathematics using the formula you showed for winding the 4:1 transformer to other ratio transformers. I would like to make a 2:1 to match 100 ohms antenna to 50 ohm coax and a 6:1 to match 300 ohms antenna to 50 ohm coax. I am having difficulty with the formula. N1/N2 = SqRt of R1/R2 For 6:1 I come up with 2 wires at 9 turns left side on core FT240-43 and 2 wires at 13 turns right side of core where N1 = 44 and N2 = 18; SqRT of 300/50 = 2.44 and N1(44)/N2(18) = 2.44 . Also R1= (N1/N2)Squared X 50 so R1 = 298.7? Can you help? Am I correct? However I have not figured out the 2:1 formula yet. Thanks again and best 73 de Jim Hope you are staying safe and healthy!
Excellent Video explaining everything about how to make these baluns and why they work to attenuate Common Mode interference and keep your SWR very low across the entire bands.
WOW! You really made things clear to me regarding baluns. I must say, I came across this and watched it first but know that you have two oter parts from earlier. I shall surely watch and stash away same. I have been looking high and low for some material that not only show how to build the devices but to also understand how they work. Thank you!
This wire is available from some sellers on eBay in multiples of one metre. I can't remember the seller but a quick search should find it. This is the best tutorial ever for building baluns. Great explanation and tips about "unfolding" a circuit to make it easier to understand. I built your 1:1 choke and it works brilliantly. I intend to build the 4:1 balun for a delta loop. Thanks and 73 de Malc 2E0EZP.
2024: Yesterday I installed a Balun/Choke built pursuant to TRX Labs 3 part video series. My antenna is a 10-40m OCF (26% feed point, 70' AGL) and easily made distant contacts using 45-65w PO. SWR's low enough that my ATU can address with ease. This design required 20' of 16awg PTFE wire which surprised me but an 'inch is an inch'. TRX Labs' 4:1 Balun video series the best instructional video for 4:1 baa-loons, lol. EDIT: Several contacts and a lot of listening later, antenna working good. I had used the same wire as an EFHW and it was not good. Thanks TRX Labs.
Hello, this is a very clear explanation on construction, the theory behind, and the testing configuration. I really appreciated the way you have transformed drawings for a better understanding. Thanks a lot.
Thanks Peter, I really liked the way you deconstructed the impedance transformation - transformer and phasing relationships always make my head hurt when winding toroids and binocular cores. I'm going to copy down your diagrams to put them in my bench reference binder (no sense in reinventing the wheel). 73 - Dino KL0S
Thanks for the nice feed-back Dino. Yes it is made for bench reference binder and I'm honestly glad the you find it worth to add it to your files.... Have a nice Sunday 73
Peter, super video, I've learnt lots now from all 3 of your video. I can now use this 4:1 and connected to the 1:1 balun in project box to match my new project antenna is cubical quad for 11 m band cb radio frequency for test. Quad shape is diamond pattern. I hope this will balance well and give very good low VSWR across all 11 m. I'm using 27.400 as input freq on driven element.
Sort of like the icing on the cake. Thanks for another fantastic, well presented tutorial which will be of great value to all here! Absolutely well explained. Terrific work. Top quality. Thanks so much!
Danke fur das video. I don’t have access to that wire, so I used enameled 1mm copper wire with the 240-43 core was Very pleased. 0-450mhz under 20db and max swr was 1.2 at that higher freq. spitze!
Here I am, watching this video, winding another balun. Peter, thank you so much. You are my companion every time I wind one. I think, this might be the 9th one I've wound. We miss you, and hope you can return to TH-cam soon! 73 de w8tam
Whoa... That's what I call an exemplary explanation of a balun. How you dissected the balun schematicly, (is that a word?), so us "mere mortals" could understand it was fantastic! Talk about performance and flat across the whole HF spectrum. Wow! I think I got 90% of it on the first watch. I think that I'll use up some more bandwidth to watch it a second time after I comment here. Really a great series Peter and I really much appreciate it! 73s Tom
Thanks again Peter. Your an excellent teacher. Have learned .so much from you! Back in the day, we didn't even know about common mode currents! looking forward to many more of your video projects! 73's de K8KEM David from Ohio USA
All of your balun videos have been outstanding and appreciated. Just a suggestion, since there is now a significant amount of baluns used in high power transistor input and output circuits and their low impedances, you might want to address 1:4 or even 1:9 ratios (12.5:50, 6.25:50) and the considerations of the associated impedances of the windings. Regardless, well done!
@ 33min, like a voltage divider, i suppose thats how it works in a way. Many people are visual learners so the diagrams are key to understanding this. This is where most text books and lecturers fail. You made this very simple. VK6OP
Peter, as usual, awesome job!!! and by the looks of the comments it was exactly what your viewers were looking for, another home run!!! I have been trying to understand your test circuit for the common mode tests, I don't understand your resistor configuration nor the values. I might be incorrect and if I am please let me know where I went astray, I even re-watched your first videos a number of times to see what and how you were doing this. It appears that you are using some form of a resistive power splitter in a 'Y' (or star) configuration to feed equal power down both sides of your common mode choke and then recombining the signal with a resistive power combiner to measure your loses through the common mode choke. The way I understand 6db RF resistive splitters/combiners is that in a "Y" configuration you would use 3 resistors in a star ('Y") configuration with an impedance of 16 ohms (ie Z/3), you only used two 25 ohm resistors, and if you used a delta configuration then z would be 50 ohms, still not 25 ohms. I become even more confused with the addition of the 4 to 1 transformer, one would think you would have an impedance mismatch from the 200 ohm output of the transformer to the 50 ohm input of your spectrum analyzer, would you not have to impedance match to avoid reflections? I refer you to KF5OBS (Sebastian's) blog and his videos on Splitters as the source of my confusion. Any insight or direction on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, your loyal follower and humble apprentice Michael
Hi Michael, thanks for watching! Well it is not any type of combiner nor splitter. We need to explore it in another way. How to explain it as easy as possible, well my be let's start from the 4:1 transformer. The 200 Ohm is a dummy antenna with of course 200ohm. this 200ohm impedance gets transformed into 50ohm. Thus the vna shows a matched system. The reason to use 2x100om resistor is because I can pick the signal at a let me call it balanced point of the circuit to have equal load on both sides ( not completely right but may help to understand it better). The same we are doing at the input. Lets assume it is a dipole antenna and I feed the signal right in the middle of a 50ohm antenna. In this case we have 2 equal signal on both inputs with are more or less matching a 50ohm system. Hope that makes sense...73
Thanks for the easily understandable explanation where you derived the single-winding auto-transformer diagram by "drawing-out" the original schematic.
Another real great video, especially when you have read the corresponding web pages of DGOSA (unfortunately SK) before. I´ve gotta go obtaining these special 18 AWG coloured PTFE-wires - not so easy even in Germany itself. Many thanks once again for making all these videos on/for TRX-Bench and best 73!
This series is very educational,theory and practice the basis for learning,I wish I could speak German as well as you speak English,superb,regards Colin.
Thank you again, I agree with Luke, I learn my math's easier of you TRX Bench, and am able to get a full understand of your teaching, and am able to apply it fully in everyday workings, I am truly grateful.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! One of a very few videos that is not "do this and do that" but the hole theory WHAT are the processes and the theory behind them.
Peter these videos were certainly VERY GOOD !!! They cleared up 2 questions I have had for a while !!Your graphical schematic was I think the key to my understanding how the transformer action occurs !!!!!This was extremely helpful My Many thanks to you!! You really outdone yourself on this one,and I think a whole lot of people appreciate it !!!! once again MANY THANKS. John A Bellas KC2UVN
Excellent video. Would you consider making a video on a 49:1 transformer that could be used on the popular end fed antenna? I'm sure it would be well received...Thanks for all the great videos...
I've often heard and read of operators using a 4:1 Balun on a dipole but if a dipole is only 70~75 ohms, why use 200ohms? Or did I not understand the tutorial? Excellent series btw. Very methodical!
Wow great info. Thank you for doing this. What are you thoughts on using different mixes for each core. what if you used Mix 43 for the 4:1 and Mix 31 for the 1:1. would that work or would there be issues between the core? Thanks again. Also, if I were to use a larger wire and had to reduce the number of turns, how would i calculate the impact to attenuation? Take care, --Mike
Hi Peter, there is another very good configuration for a 4:1 that I have previously used, it too uses 2 seperate toroids. I wonder how it would measure in comparison to yours? My own 1:1 baluns would on FT240-43 cores using a simple pair of teflon wires do not make any attempt to preserve a 50 characteristic impedance but have very wide bandwidth and yield about 35dB of common mode attenuation in a 50 ohm system (measured with a Nanovna). I realise this is one of your older videos but you have covered this subject extremely well. Most of the commercially produced baluns on the market are utter junk.
Outstanding presentation. A very kind and patient delivery for such a complex project. I built the baluns and they work perfectly. Not "Balun-y" here! KF5AIE
Now ready to build a 4:1 balun so i came back to this video to make sure i remembered it right. you use 12 turns. I have seen examples on the web for a balun of this type with from 8 to 15 turns. Whatever number of turns you use the ratio will not change so curious what the reason was that you went with 12 turns. Thanks for the great videos.
I tried to get so many turns on the core as possible as you need impedance to get a good common mode rejection especially in the lower frequencies. With other words the balun would not work linear over the entire bandwidth..Hope that helps 73
Never mentions the core material used in the 1:4 Balun. Type 43 is lossy. He has the test set up to measure the power loss from the transmitter port to the antenna port.
Great videos. Thank you very much. Just a question. Can I stack the 2 cores in the same enclosure, and, if so, should I use an insulating material between them? Thank you. Ed
FANTASTIC Series! I see that these cores are arranged end to end, but I'm wondering if the double-core choke/balun can be assembled with the cores stacked on top of one another (like dinner plates)? This would allow a more compact, "square" device to be assembled in a common 4 x 4 inch electrical box (US sizing). Keeping the input separated from the output might also be an issue to address. Again -- THANK YOU. --NT0Z
Thanks for these videos. Your ones rooted in theory like this are especially interesting. From all the talk about current, I presume this is a current balun, like commonly used in OCF dipoles - so what is the difference between a current and a voltage balun? Attenuating voltage, rather than current? Also, what happens when more power is pushed through it than it's designed to handle, do things just overheat and melt?
Hi, thanks for watching...Well it is along story how it hangs together with voltage and current balun, so I would recommend you to read this www.arrl.org/files/file/History/History%20of%20QST%20Volume%201%20-%20Technology/AntComp1-Lewallen(1).pdf. And on your second question...an over driven core material would burn out and would most probably burst.
Peter, Excellent explanation. Watching this video was worth every minute. Wish I could give two thumbs up. :-) Do you think the 1:1 common mode balun would be good up to 54Mhz? WB3BJU
Datasheet for the wire listed. Gives specifications that allow you to cross reference to other manufactures. www.habia.com/globalassets/documents---downloads/single-wires/e-and-e-npc.pdf Page 2. Line E1819 NPC Based on part number I think the wire used was actually Nickel Plated Copper not Silver Plated Copper as stated in previous videos in the series.
Has anyone found a supplier for E 1819 NPC (Art No. 412cc1819) or an equivalent? The manufacturer has not responded with distributors and finding the product or its equivalent is very very time consuming. Any luck anyone?
I learnt so much than you. May I ask what antenna would you use, what antenna would qualify for 200 ohms? If open wire is used is there 200 ohm open wire, I thought it was 300,450 and 600 ohm. Thanks Tim
Wow,,, thanks for all the information. I have read article after article about baluns trying to understand them. Awesome explanation and build. Thank you for sharing. Can you use the mini VNA as an antenna analyzer as well when modeling antennas?
Hi i really enjoy your videos and have constructed the baluns you describe with outstanding success. I was wondering if it's possible to build a 2:1 balun applying the same engineering?
I have an MFJ 969 Versa Tuner II (a roller inductor tuner) and it has a built in 4:1 balun for balanced and unbalanced wire antennae. Still don't know how to use it for a single wire (random) antenna. I have learned a lot from watching your great videos. I need to know how to use a wire antenna in conjunction with my antenna tuner. Guess I need to search out some videos on the subject. Where do you get 100 ohm PTFE wire? Cheers & 73 from W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee
Thank you so much. I have been riveted by all three in this series.. Some of the best videos I've ever watched on TH-cam. Question: Can one fold over the ring assembly (after wiring and soldering), such that the rings stack neatly on top of each other? That would seem to be a much more efficient way of storing them in an enclosure.
Outstanding presentations! Now, how long are the dipole wires for a multi band 40M to 10M antenna? Do you use the same AWG18, PETG covered wire? Garry / WD0DUD
I think that an UNUN would be something that could be used with radios in order to create the perfect match between a longwire antenna and radio and so pull in those weak stations.
i'm make my 1:1 and 4:1 Baluns with this exact method and the same Toroids , and i'm impresed with the results. My Windom Off Center Feed, is noise free, maching perfect with very little Antena tuner help, and powerfull output. A true 4:1 Balun with RF Choque. Thanks for your videos. 73.. yv5emg
Very nice job!!! Finally a video set that explains WHY in addition to how. So important for me to grasp the why in order to grasp the how. I seem to gather that the power handling capability lies in the size of the toroid? In order to make a legal-power balun as you show here I would need to use 4 T240-43 toroids, 2 stacked for each part, 1:1 and 4:1? Conversely, what about if I only needed the balun to handle 100 watts (the power rating of my TS-450S without external amplifier)? What size toroid and wire? Thanks in advance, just starting out with this type of experimentation. 73's de KD9EKK in Illinois, USA :)
Peter thank you very much for such great videos! thanks to you I managed to build my first baluns successfully! One question, could you please recommend any book for deeper understanding, possibly with a hands-on/experimental approach ;-) ? Thanks! 73!
Very well explained and very clear the video. I will put it into practice with FT240-31 one 1: 1 toroids for a bi band dipole (3.7 and 7MHz) and another with the same toroid but 4: 1 for a 7MHz loop delta. Is the cable you use rigid or braid? Thank you for sharing. 73 of LU8HRW
I'm tempted to go to AWG16. I'm guessing this is a bad idea or it would have been mentioned. Are there any specifics regarding wire gauge or is it just to make it easier to wind it tight onto the toroid. I believe I've seen a video using transformer wire. More wire info would be great.
If the number of turns of wire are equal in number on both sides of the toroid except for the phase difference, how does the 4:1 come about? Great presentation BTW with a little tip for you. The words balloon and balun are not pronounced the same way. You are doing great. If I could speak half as good in German as you can speak in English, I would be extremely pleased.
![[Live] : ONE FIGHT NIGHT 25 วันนี้!! "อเล็กซิส vs รีเกียน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/suVr9a6BM2g/mqdefault.jpg)
Probably the best series of videos on baluns here on youtube.
Excellent work.
Cheers
73
Hi Luk, thanks for the nice feed-back! 73
I definitely agree
I also fully agree, I always found complicated understand the way a balun works, with this series of videos devotes to balun I feel enough confident to get into the interesting part of the electronic
I too agree, thank you for your expert advice and teaching. You have enlighten me and encouraged me to improve my understanding of electronics
Not probably - definetly!
It is absolutely the best explanation I have ever heard. I did not understand how the 1:4 impedance matching transformer worked until I watched this demonstration. Thank you. Excellent Job!
He is one of the very few technical teachers on TH-cam, (or in college,) who can explain things so even I can understand them, not just 'learn' them but UNDERSTAND them. Even with his odd accent, pronunciations, word choices, and syntax he STILL communicates for free far better than any professor whose salary I was paying.
Thank you for providing such excellent videos. I saw where one individual was critical of you for taking so much time to explain what was on your video. Anyone that thinks it is too long can easily zoom ahead or click it off. Keep providing your knowledge to help us learn the correct way to build balun/chokes using the most efficient toroid material.
I'm watching this series of videos for the second time because there is so much good stuff to learn, I need to watch it at least twice to take it all in. You have put a lot of work into this and I'm very grateful. I wonder how many people you have saved from radio interference and how many rigs you have saved from too higher SWR! Thank-you.
Hello my friend, I, I've been a radio amateur for 37 years I have made many baluns that was not good, after I followed you here on youtube (Now, I understand what it is all about), I made a balun according to your recipe it's the most amazing data I've seen from my mvna. Thanks
Hi Leif, thanks for the feed-back. I'm glad that my videos are helpful for you... All the best and 73
You answered a question I had about "daisy chaining" 1:1 followed by other ratios of baluns for both matching and CMR. I love the "unfolding" explanation of the phasing. Your numbers stand behind your construction. Well done!!
Thank you Peter for a very informative and useful series of videos. I will get to making my 9:1 Balun and 1:1 as soon as the wire arrives.
This is probably the best tutorial on the subject.
Thanks again
Thank you for this education. I just put up a new OFC Dipole using a balun I built per your instructions. It supposed to work from 80 meters to 10 meters BUT I can also tune it to the bottom of 160 meters. My MFJ-929 Intellituner easily tunes on all frequencies. Very happy with the results. 👍🏻👍🏻
Awesome series! You should put all your vids on DVDs and offer them for sale. Excellent tutorials and hands on. You have inspired me to get back to the bench and start building again. I have several piles of parts to build projects you have covered. 73, Jim.
Hello Peter First let me say THANK YOU for showing us how to wind baluns. You explain everything very well. I am grateful for your use of the English language which made it possible for me to learn this art of baluns. I have made several 1:1 and 4:1 baluns while following your videos. I am trying to apply the mathematics using the formula you showed for winding the 4:1 transformer to other ratio transformers. I would like to make a 2:1 to match 100 ohms antenna to 50 ohm coax and a 6:1 to match 300 ohms antenna to 50 ohm coax. I am having difficulty with the formula. N1/N2 = SqRt of R1/R2 For 6:1 I come up with 2 wires at 9 turns left side on core FT240-43 and 2 wires at 13 turns right side of core where N1 = 44 and N2 = 18; SqRT of 300/50 = 2.44 and N1(44)/N2(18) = 2.44 . Also R1= (N1/N2)Squared X 50 so R1 = 298.7? Can you help? Am I correct? However I have not figured out the 2:1 formula yet. Thanks again and best 73 de Jim Hope you are staying safe and healthy!
Excellent Video explaining everything about how to make these baluns and why they work to attenuate Common Mode interference and keep your SWR very low across the entire bands.
WOW! You really made things clear to me regarding baluns. I must say, I came across this and watched it first but know that you have two oter parts from earlier. I shall surely watch and stash away same. I have been looking high and low for some material that not only show how to build the devices but to also understand how they work. Thank you!
Glad that you like it! Thanks for watching 73
The BEST series of balun videos I have ever seen! Thanks so much for this Peter!!
Thank you Mitchell 73
This wire is available from some sellers on eBay in multiples of one metre. I can't remember the seller but a quick search should find it. This is the best tutorial ever for building baluns. Great explanation and tips about "unfolding" a circuit to make it easier to understand. I built your 1:1 choke and it works brilliantly. I intend to build the 4:1 balun for a delta loop. Thanks and 73 de Malc 2E0EZP.
Thanks for feed back, very much appreciated 73
Thank you, thank you and thank you again.
Very nicely done with the thoroughness that really helped me understand exactly how a Balun works.
Hi John, glad that it was helpful for you. Thank you 73
2024: Yesterday I installed a Balun/Choke built pursuant to TRX Labs 3 part video series. My antenna is a 10-40m OCF (26% feed point, 70' AGL) and easily made distant contacts using 45-65w PO. SWR's low enough that my ATU can address with ease. This design required 20' of 16awg PTFE wire which surprised me but an 'inch is an inch'. TRX Labs' 4:1 Balun video series the best instructional video for 4:1 baa-loons, lol.
EDIT: Several contacts and a lot of listening later, antenna working good. I had used the same wire as an EFHW and it was not good. Thanks TRX Labs.
Hello,
this is a very clear explanation on construction, the theory behind, and the testing configuration. I really appreciated the way you have transformed drawings for a better understanding. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for feed back! 73
These videos are exceptional. Thankyou for taking the time to explain these principles so clearly.
Thanks Peter, I really liked the way you deconstructed the impedance transformation - transformer and phasing relationships always make my head hurt when winding toroids and binocular cores. I'm going to copy down your diagrams to put them in my bench reference binder (no sense in reinventing the wheel). 73 - Dino KL0S
Thanks for the nice feed-back Dino. Yes it is made for bench reference binder and I'm honestly glad the you find it worth to add it to your files.... Have a nice Sunday 73
This is AWESOME! Thanks for the hard work putting this together ❤
Peter, super video, I've learnt lots now from all 3 of your video. I can now use this 4:1 and connected to the 1:1 balun in project box to match my new project antenna is cubical quad for 11 m band cb radio frequency for test. Quad shape is diamond pattern. I hope this will balance well and give very good low VSWR across all 11 m. I'm using 27.400 as input freq on driven element.
Good luck with the project! 73
Most informative video I've ever seen on Baluns! Thank you so much!
Sort of like the icing on the cake. Thanks for another fantastic, well presented tutorial which will be of great value to all here!
Absolutely well explained. Terrific work. Top quality. Thanks so much!
Thanks for nice feed-back! Glad that you like it 73
Finally someone fully explains. Thank you for your time sir
Thanks for watching 73
Most impressive construction, demonstration and explanation. This is very impressive. I can't wait to share this. Thanks for your time and sharing it.
Danke fur das video.
I don’t have access to that wire, so I used enameled 1mm copper wire with the 240-43 core was Very pleased. 0-450mhz under 20db and max swr was 1.2 at that higher freq. spitze!
In add to the quality content, the Shakespear not being my native language, the wpm is really appreciated for the understanding, thank you very much.
Here I am, watching this video, winding another balun. Peter, thank you so much. You are my companion every time I wind one. I think, this might be the 9th one I've wound. We miss you, and hope you can return to TH-cam soon! 73 de w8tam
Thanks for such informative demonstrations. I have never seen a better demonstration about baluns.
Thank you Mike! 73
Whoa... That's what I call an exemplary explanation of a balun. How you dissected the balun schematicly, (is that a word?), so us "mere mortals" could understand it was fantastic! Talk about performance and flat across the whole HF spectrum. Wow!
I think I got 90% of it on the first watch. I think that I'll use up some more bandwidth to watch it a second time after I comment here.
Really a great series Peter and I really much appreciate it!
73s Tom
Thanks for the kind words Tom! I'm really glad that you liked it! All the best 73's
Thanks again Peter. Your an excellent teacher. Have learned .so much from you! Back in the day, we didn't even know about common mode currents! looking forward to many more of your video projects! 73's de K8KEM David from Ohio USA
Hi David, thanks for the nice feed back! I'm glad that you like my videos! All the best to Ohio 73
All of your balun videos have been outstanding and appreciated. Just a suggestion, since there is now a significant amount of baluns used in high power transistor input and output circuits and their low impedances, you might want to address 1:4 or even 1:9 ratios (12.5:50, 6.25:50) and the considerations of the associated impedances of the windings. Regardless, well done!
That was a lot of explaining Peter! Very well done my friend. Was a great way to start my day :-)
Thank you my friend. Yes a lot of explanation, honestly hope that all are able to build their own balun now. 73
@ 33min, like a voltage divider, i suppose thats how it works in a way. Many people are visual learners so the diagrams are key to understanding this. This is where most text books and lecturers fail. You made this very simple. VK6OP
Thanks for nice feed-back. Glad that it was helpful for you. All the best 73
Peter, as usual, awesome job!!! and by the looks of the comments it was exactly what your viewers were looking for, another home run!!! I have been trying to understand your test circuit for the common mode tests, I don't understand your resistor configuration nor the values. I might be incorrect and if I am please let me know where I went astray, I even re-watched your first videos a number of times to see what and how you were doing this. It appears that you are using some form of a resistive power splitter in a 'Y' (or star) configuration to feed equal power down both sides of your common mode choke and then recombining the signal with a resistive power combiner to measure your loses through the common mode choke. The way I understand 6db RF resistive splitters/combiners is that in a "Y" configuration you would use 3 resistors in a star ('Y") configuration with an impedance of 16 ohms (ie Z/3), you only used two 25 ohm resistors, and if you used a delta configuration then z would be 50 ohms, still not 25 ohms. I become even more confused with the addition of the 4 to 1 transformer, one would think you would have an impedance mismatch from the 200 ohm output of the transformer to the 50 ohm input of your spectrum analyzer, would you not have to impedance match to avoid reflections? I refer you to KF5OBS (Sebastian's) blog and his videos on Splitters as the source of my confusion. Any insight or direction on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, your loyal follower and humble apprentice Michael
Hi Michael, thanks for watching! Well it is not any type of combiner nor splitter. We need to explore it in another way. How to explain it as easy as possible, well my be let's start from the 4:1 transformer. The 200 Ohm is a dummy antenna with of course 200ohm. this 200ohm impedance gets transformed into 50ohm. Thus the vna shows a matched system. The reason to use 2x100om resistor is because I can pick the signal at a let me call it balanced point of the circuit to have equal load on both sides ( not completely right but may help to understand it better). The same we are doing at the input. Lets assume it is a dipole antenna and I feed the signal right in the middle of a 50ohm antenna. In this case we have 2 equal signal on both inputs with are more or less matching a 50ohm system. Hope that makes sense...73
Thanks for the easily understandable explanation where you derived the single-winding auto-transformer diagram by "drawing-out" the original schematic.
Glad that you like it Jerome! Thanks for feed-back 73
Another real great video, especially when you have read the corresponding web pages of DGOSA (unfortunately SK) before. I´ve gotta go obtaining these special 18 AWG coloured PTFE-wires - not so easy even in Germany itself. Many thanks once again for making all these videos on/for TRX-Bench and best 73!
The best explanation about BALUNs !!👏👏👏👏
This series is very educational,theory and practice the basis for learning,I wish I could speak German as well as you speak English,superb,regards Colin.
Thank you Colin for the kind words...Glad that you like my videos 73
Very clear explanation you are a good teacher great video
Thank you !
Great videos, great instructions! You are helping me better understand the hobby so much, thank you for everything you do.
waiting for a 9:1 balun... BTW thanks for your videos!!!
Very nicely explained and the maths didnt hurt one little bit. Great stuff.
Very well done Peter! i love your videos and ill be making one for my tunner i am working on
Hi Matt, thanks for feed-back. Good luck with the project..73
Matt K i
Jim O'Sullivan ????????????
Always appreciate people who help others learn. Excellent video. Thank you for all your effort. Great point on the ptfe insulation. makes sense.
Glad that you like it Mark! 73
Next I would like to see how to make a 2:1 balun please. Thank you!
Truly excellent video on balun design and principles! All makes sense now, Sehr Gut!
Great video Peter as always. Fantastic explanation on the math theory and the practical and build.....I really enjoyed this..... 73
Glad that you like it. Thanks for feed-back 73
Thank you again, I agree with Luke, I learn my math's easier of you TRX Bench, and am able to get a full understand of your teaching, and am able to apply it fully in everyday workings, I am truly grateful.
Thank you Dennis! Glad that my videos make sense to you 73
Great video series with excellent theory, design and testing. Thank you. 73
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
One of a very few videos that is not "do this and do that" but the hole theory WHAT are the processes and the theory behind them.
Thanks for your feed-back Petar! 73
Peter these videos were certainly VERY GOOD !!! They cleared up 2 questions I have had for a while !!Your graphical schematic was I think the key to my understanding how the transformer action occurs !!!!!This was extremely helpful My Many thanks to you!! You really outdone yourself on this one,and I think a whole lot of people appreciate it !!!! once again MANY THANKS. John A Bellas KC2UVN
Hi John, thanks for the kind words! I'm glad that the video was helpful. All the best 73
I like your taste in Bench top test equipment. I also have a CMT 54. A great piece of all round test equipment.
Thanks for feed-back 73
again excellent video, waiting for the 2:1 for my full loop antenna. thank you.
Great video with excellent explanation ! I wish you would do video on the performance when the cores are heated up a bit. 73 N8AUM
Excellent - clear and practical. wish I had found this years ago!
Excellent video. Would you consider making a video on a 49:1 transformer that could be used on the popular end fed antenna? I'm sure it would be well received...Thanks for all the great videos...
Thanks! Time is always the limiting factor. I can't do it for that reason...
Another great video and explanation Peter. Thanks for sharing.
Mike
Thank you Mike!!
EXCELLENT... Thank you for taking the time to explain this subject. I now have a better understanding of balums.
I'm glade that you like it. Thank you Eddie
I've often heard and read of operators using a 4:1 Balun on a dipole but if a dipole is only 70~75 ohms, why use 200ohms? Or did I not understand the tutorial? Excellent series btw. Very methodical!
Hey genius !!! the 4:1 balun is use for OCF(Windom) or delta loop antenna.
Thank you for making these videos and certainly for doing it in English which made it possible for me to learn from it. Great job! 73
Glad that you liked it Jeffery1 73
Another clear explanation of why, as well as how.Thank you for taking the time
Thank you Mike! 73
Wow great info. Thank you for doing this. What are you thoughts on using different mixes for each core. what if you used Mix 43 for the 4:1 and Mix 31 for the 1:1. would that work or would there be issues between the core? Thanks again.
Also, if I were to use a larger wire and had to reduce the number of turns, how would i calculate the impact to attenuation?
Take care,
--Mike
Hi Peter, there is another very good configuration for a 4:1 that I have previously used, it too uses 2 seperate toroids. I wonder how it would measure in comparison to yours? My own 1:1 baluns would on FT240-43 cores using a simple pair of teflon wires do not make any attempt to preserve a 50 characteristic impedance but have very wide bandwidth and yield about 35dB of common mode attenuation in a 50 ohm system (measured with a Nanovna). I realise this is one of your older videos but you have covered this subject extremely well. Most of the commercially produced baluns on the market are utter junk.
Outstanding presentation. A very kind and patient delivery for such a complex project. I built the baluns and they work perfectly. Not "Balun-y" here! KF5AIE
Thank you!
Very nicely done Peter! Have not seen such a nice explanation with documentation for a long time! Keep up the good work! 73 VE7FE
Thank you Jurgen, Glad that you like it 73
Now ready to build a 4:1 balun so i came back to this video to make sure i remembered it right. you use 12 turns. I have seen examples on the web for a balun of this type with from 8 to 15 turns. Whatever number of turns you use the ratio will not change so curious what the reason was that you went with 12 turns. Thanks for the great videos.
I tried to get so many turns on the core as possible as you need impedance to get a good common mode rejection especially in the lower frequencies. With other words the balun would not work linear over the entire bandwidth..Hope that helps 73
Never mentions the core material used in the 1:4 Balun. Type 43 is lossy. He has the test set up to measure the power loss from the transmitter port to the antenna port.
I believe he mentions that the T-Core is the same type as the one used in the previous video T-240 Type 43 (I've watched the video several times).
Can you tell me if your PTFE AWG 18 silver coated wire is solid or stranded. Thank you
AWESOME informational video's!!!
Is the Watt capability in peak?
When you Hook the single wire to the Antenna, how many watts will it handle?
Great videos. Thank you very much.
Just a question. Can I stack the 2 cores in the same enclosure, and, if so, should I use an insulating material between them?
Thank you.
Ed
yes, more details here a08.veron.nl/zelfbouw/antennes/800-watt-fd4-multiband-antenna-with-super-balun/
Very informative! I'm currently tinkering with some cores now and your videos helped me on wire selection. K4EQE 73
Thanks for watching! Glad that you like my video! 73
TNX 4 another GREAT video !!! Can you show what happens to the performance if the cores get HOT ?
73 N8AUM
FANTASTIC Series! I see that these cores are arranged end to end, but I'm wondering if the double-core choke/balun can be assembled with the cores stacked on top of one another (like dinner plates)? This would allow a more compact, "square" device to be assembled in a common 4 x 4 inch electrical box (US sizing). Keeping the input separated from the output might also be an issue to address. Again -- THANK YOU. --NT0Z
Yes that is possible, check the link below with many additional information.
a08.veron.nl/zelfbouw/antennes/800-watt-fd4-multiband-antenna-with-super-balun/
Thanks for these videos. Your ones rooted in theory like this are especially interesting. From all the talk about current, I presume this is a current balun, like commonly used in OCF dipoles - so what is the difference between a current and a voltage balun? Attenuating voltage, rather than current? Also, what happens when more power is pushed through it than it's designed to handle, do things just overheat and melt?
Hi, thanks for watching...Well it is along story how it hangs together with voltage and current balun, so I would recommend you to read this www.arrl.org/files/file/History/History%20of%20QST%20Volume%201%20-%20Technology/AntComp1-Lewallen(1).pdf.
And on your second question...an over driven core material would burn out and would most probably burst.
Peter,
Excellent explanation. Watching this video was worth every minute. Wish I could give two thumbs up. :-)
Do you think the 1:1 common mode balun would be good up to 54Mhz?
WB3BJU
Thanks for the nice fed-back Donald! Yes this core material is rated to work up to 50Mhz. See for reference PART2 at 13:50.. 73
Datasheet for the wire listed. Gives specifications that allow you to cross reference to other manufactures.
www.habia.com/globalassets/documents---downloads/single-wires/e-and-e-npc.pdf
Page 2. Line E1819 NPC
Based on part number I think the wire used was actually Nickel Plated Copper not Silver Plated Copper as stated in previous videos in the series.
Has anyone found a supplier for E 1819 NPC (Art No. 412cc1819) or an equivalent? The manufacturer has not responded with distributors and finding the product or its equivalent is very very time consuming. Any luck anyone?
For an experiment I used a 240-31 toroid for a 49:1 unun for an inverted L antenna. It was resonant on all 5 HF bands! Go figure?
I learnt so much than you. May I ask what antenna would you use, what antenna would qualify for 200 ohms? If open wire is used is there 200 ohm open wire, I thought it was 300,450 and 600 ohm.
Thanks Tim
Wow,,, thanks for all the information. I have read article after article about baluns trying to understand them. Awesome explanation and build. Thank you for sharing. Can you use the mini VNA as an antenna analyzer as well when modeling antennas?
Glad that my video was of any help! Thanks for watching 73
Hi i really enjoy your videos and have constructed the baluns you describe with outstanding success. I was wondering if it's possible to build a 2:1 balun applying the same engineering?
I have an MFJ 969 Versa Tuner II (a roller inductor tuner) and it has a built in 4:1 balun for balanced and unbalanced wire antennae. Still don't know how to use it for a single wire (random) antenna. I have learned a lot from watching your great videos. I need to know how to use a wire antenna in conjunction with my antenna tuner. Guess I need to search out some videos on the subject. Where do you get 100 ohm PTFE wire? Cheers & 73 from W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee
Thank you so much. I have been riveted by all three in this series.. Some of the best videos I've ever watched on TH-cam.
Question: Can one fold over the ring assembly (after wiring and soldering), such that the rings stack neatly on top of each other?
That would seem to be a much more efficient way of storing them in an enclosure.
Hi Wayne, thanks for watching! Glad that you like the videos! All the best 73
any thoughts on my question?
Sorry Wayne,have seen you question and simply forgotten to answer. Yes it should work.. 73
Danke schoen!
Outstanding presentations! Now, how long are the dipole wires for a multi band 40M to 10M antenna? Do you use the same AWG18, PETG covered wire? Garry / WD0DUD
I think that an UNUN would be something that could be used with radios in order to create the perfect match between a longwire antenna and radio and so pull in those weak stations.
Hi David, well a perfect match with an UNUN at a longwire antenna with an input impedance of about 1kohm to 2,5kohm is unlikely...73
i'm make my 1:1 and 4:1 Baluns with this exact method and the same Toroids , and i'm impresed with the results. My Windom Off Center Feed, is noise free, maching perfect with very little Antena tuner help, and powerfull output. A true 4:1 Balun with RF Choque. Thanks for your videos. 73.. yv5emg
Great series; much appreciated; thank you. 👍
Thanks fpr stopping by 73
Ditto :O) 73
+outlawhead 👍👍
I enjoyed tremendously. Now I have to figure out what size cores to use , or how to do so
Thanks for watching Andrew. 73
Wow! I am impressed Peter.
Thank you Howard! 73
A very good series Peter. Thank you
Regards
John
Thank you John! regards my friend
Very nice job!!! Finally a video set that explains WHY in addition to how. So important for me to grasp the why in order to grasp the how. I seem to gather that the power handling capability lies in the size of the toroid? In order to make a legal-power balun as you show here I would need to use 4 T240-43 toroids, 2 stacked for each part, 1:1 and 4:1? Conversely, what about if I only needed the balun to handle 100 watts (the power rating of my TS-450S without external amplifier)? What size toroid and wire? Thanks in advance, just starting out with this type of experimentation. 73's de KD9EKK in Illinois, USA :)
Thanks for feed-back Dale. Yes if you need to make the balun handling 1500W PEP you should stack two. 73
Very well done, simple and well explained. Great video.
Thanks William 73
Peter thank you very much for such great videos! thanks to you I managed to build my first baluns successfully! One question, could you please recommend any book for deeper understanding, possibly with a hands-on/experimental approach ;-) ? Thanks! 73!
Thank you for the explanation and the video so clear. I will make a 1: 1 balun but with 1.25MM enameled copper and toroid coated with teflon tape. 73!
Very well explained and very clear the video. I will put it into practice with FT240-31 one 1: 1 toroids for a bi band dipole (3.7 and 7MHz) and another with the same toroid but 4: 1 for a 7MHz loop delta. Is the cable you use rigid or braid? Thank you for sharing. 73 of LU8HRW
You are the man! I love your videos!
I'm tempted to go to AWG16. I'm guessing this is a bad idea or it would have been mentioned. Are there any specifics regarding wire gauge or is it just to make it easier to wind it tight onto the toroid. I believe I've seen a video using transformer wire. More wire info would be great.
If the number of turns of wire are equal in number on both sides of the toroid except for the phase difference, how does the 4:1 come about?
Great presentation BTW with a little tip for you. The words balloon and balun are not pronounced the same way.
You are doing great. If I could speak half as good in German as you can speak in English, I would be extremely pleased.
Outstanding video and content!
Thanks.