Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [choke-balun]

27 questions
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Why do amateur radio operators call an RF choke a balun?

When using a balanced antenna such as a half wave dipole, with an unbalanced feed line such as coax, an RF choke can be used to block RF current emitted by the transmitter from splitting up at the antenna feed point and traveling along the antenna…
Andrew
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When would we ever want to use a voltage balun in ham radio?

In a world where common mode current is the enemy, and we're constantly doing what we can to avoid RF in the shack, why would we ever choose a voltage type balun over a current balun? I understand that, in general, one uses a voltage balun to keep…
user3191449
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Importance of Ferrite Size in Coax Choke Balun

The question is quite simple: When making a coax choke balun, does the size of the ferrite matter, and if so, why? I have seen design notes that say to use a single FT240-43 toroid for powers up to 400W, and then to use two stacked FT240-43 toroids…
M1GEO
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Do end-fed dipole antennas need choke baluns?

I have a couple of end-fed wire antennas I bought that came with matching baluns. One has a 9:1 unun, and I'm not sure about the other one. In addition to those, should I also put a choke balun on the coax before the matching one?
Pablo Fernandez
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How to determine number of turns for a 1:1 balun?

I would like to make a 1:1 balun with М1000НМ ferrite core (magnetic permeability - 1000) and 1 mm thick copper wire using triple bifilar winding. Unfortunately I didn't manage to find a clear instruction on how to determine the required number of…
Aleksander Alekseev - R2AUK
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What is the maximum number of turns in a ferrite core used as a common mode choke?

Is there a way to estimate the maximum number of turns which can be used with a ferrite core used as a common mode choke? It is known that the impedance of such a choke is proportional to the square of the number of turns and so there is a strong…
Chris K8NVH
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How much attenuation (dB) from a balun is expected?

I'm building a dipole antenna for 433 MHz, first one ever. I will have to use a ferrite bead to balance the feed. How many decibels of attenuation should I expect from the ferrite bead?
AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs
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Coax or bifilar windings for a choke?

Making a common mode choke out of bifilar windings has proven rather difficult. For me the difficulty lies in getting the impedance to remain a constant 50 ohms from on the HF bands. I've tried 14 gauge enameled and I've tried 18 gauge PTFE. The…
user3191449
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Why do we distinguish between balanced and unbalanced?

I hear all the time, "you need a balun between your balanced dipole and unbalanced coax to stop the common-mode current" when it seems the proper advice is "you need something to stop common-mode current (full stop)." Sure, attaching a balanced…
Dominick Pastore
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Is this the Correct Ferrite Core to Reduce RFI as a Common Mode Choke?

I have a Flex 3000 connected via RG-11 coax to a inverted V fan dipole tuned for 40m and 20m on my roof. I have an "ugly" balun up on the mast by the antenna. I further have the feed-line going into a lightning suppressor where the line enters into…
Etep - VE6ETP
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Dipole increased CM current using choke balun

My 20 meter inverted vee dipole is fed with 56 feet of 50-ohm coax. The SWR measures 1.2 at the center of the band. According to http://arrl.org/grounding a balanced antenna doesn't need a ground, so my transceiver is not grounded. I've read that an…
Peter Buxton
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Can I use a 1:1 current balun to feed a 1/4λ vertical?

I have an LDG RBA-1:1 current balun, and I was wondering if it behaves as a common-mode choke that I can use for a ground-mounted quarter wave vertical w/ 16 radials. The other choice I have is a 4:1 unun (also LDG), but I think that would cut …
Rimio
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Dipole antenna using current on outside of coax as intentional radiator?

Is there an antenna design somewhat like a coaxial dipole, where the coax ends in a quarter-wave radiator, but instead of an explicit coaxial radiator running back over the coax body, the outer surface of the coax is the radiator, much like…
ralph vanhoek
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How do you calculate the number of turns for a common mode choke?

I want to build a common mode choke for my end-fed wire antenna, using turns of coax through an FT140 or FT240 ferrite. I can find various finished products for sale, but I want to make my own. I found plenty of YouTube videos telling me how they…
Joel Clark
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Do chokes at the antenna feedpoint stop the coax from receiving signals as well, or just transmitting?

It seems common knowledge that a choke at the antenna feedpoint stops the outside of the coax shield from radiating when transmitting into the antenna. But what about stopping the outside of the coax shield from picking up noise and sending it to…
user3191449
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