50:250 ohm (5:1) CUBE™ Unun™, 1.8-61 Mz, 1500 Watts, end fed, vertical
Model CU-5-1500EB- 5 to 1 Unun
(SO-239 in/Eye bolt hoist with output connector on top, side stud for ground/counterpoise)
Purpose. This unun is designed to match 250 ohms unbalanced to 50 ohms unbalanced up to 1500 watts PEP power from 1.8-61 MHz. It provides conversion from unbalanced 50 ohm coax to an unbalanced 250 ohm load/antenna feed point and gives a 5:1 impedance step-up to reduce VSWR on the coax feed line. The unun is housed in a 4” x 4” X “2 NEMA weather resistant box with SO-239 coaxial input and a ¼” stud terminal with wing nut on the top for output and another on the side for ground or counterpoise connection.
This unun is DC grounded and will bleed off static electricity but it is NOT A LIGHTNING ARRESTOR.
Model CU-5-1500 is a 50 ohm to 250 ohm (5:1) voltage unun used to translate a 50 ohm input up to 250 ohms at RF power levels up to 1500 watts PEP (30% duty cycle) when used with a matched load. With a matched 250 ohm unbalanced load SWR should not exceed 2.0 over the frequency range 1.8-61 MHz.
Application. For traveling wave, end fed or portable 20-31 foot vertical antennas the 5:1 balun makes a good transformer for converting 50 ohm coax to a 250 ohm feed point. If you use the antenna on multiple bands, the feed point impedance may not always be 250 ohms and use of the unun at high (>350 ohms) or low (<100 ohms) will require reduced power input or the unun may have its power ratings exceeded and damage to the unun may occur. The (5:1 conversion ratio will change for loads other than 250 ohms unbalanced.
Typical Antenna System Using CU-5-1500
Use a coax noise filter to reduce noise from any vertical antenna or a line isolator to suppress coax cable braid radiation on transmit.
Testimonial
Hi Bob,
Radio: Flex-6700 running barefoot -10 to 100 Watts max.
Antenna: MFJ-1216 – 160/80 meter OCFD wire antenna with matching network.
Elevation: Over 60 feet AGL – fully extended.
Installed: Mid November 2013
I operate mainly on the digital modes running less than 50 Watts. All of the sudden after a few days operating with this antenna, I start to have RFI and my radio was acting up; such as changing bands, SWR changing values, radio failures and turning off. However, when I used my Hy-Gain 18 HT vertical on the same band none of the abnormality occurred.
I contacted MFJ and confirm that what I was noticing was a failure of their “matching network” AKA balun. They offered no solutions. Then I contacted Palomar Engineers and bought the 1:1 new toroid RF beads. I called Palomar Engineers and I happened to talked to you directly; regarding the on going issue with the MFJ antenna. I found out that the 1:1 balun was not what I needed (I was miss-informed by MFJ that it was 1:1 matching network.)
You offered to make the required balun 4:1 and the rest is history.
Here are my findings:
- No more RFI displayed on the monitors.
- Radio not acting up or turning off.
- The SWR at 160/80 meter is 1.2:1
- No antenna tuner required. (radio goes to Bypass automatically.)
- Worst SWR is on 10 meter with a 2:1 but still usable, with antenna tuner 1.5.
- One happy OCFD user!
Thanks to Palomar Engineers design and engineering for solving this issue.
73, Ernest – W4EG