Simple Ham Radio Antennas--Building Ladder Line by N4LQ. Post #519.


If you have trouble viewing this video, please insert the following URL into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/qzFKGB6qkXs.  Steve Ellington (N4LQ) show us a simple, inexpensive way to build and install insulators in ladder line.  Choose your own spacing.  Wire ties should be at least twice the length of the spacer.  Steve uses 11 inch/27.94 cm ties found at Loew's Stores.  You can also use various types of plastics for the spreaders.  For amateur radio purposes, #14 AWG household wire can be used for each leg of the ladder line. Once you've made the spacers and adjusted the spreaders, you can attach each leg of the ladder line to its respective antenna element.  Feed this combination into a balanced "tuner" and you're ready to go.  If you don't have a balanced "tuner", you can run a short length of 50-ohm coaxial cable from your "tuner" to the 4:1 balun,which will then be connected to the ladder line.  With this arrangement, you can get multi-band performance with one antenna.  I have a 40-meter inverted vee antenna using homebrewed ladder line connected to a 4:1 balun and then to a short length of coax from the balun into my Drake MN-4 "tuner."  I can use this antenna/feed line combination to work 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters.  Steve's video is easy to understand and should help you make your own antenna feed line with a minimum of stress.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily. Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

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