Broad Band Terminated Dipoles (BBTD), Tilted Terminated Fold Dipoles (T2FD) and Balanced Termination Folded Dipole BTFD) antennas can be designed to cover a large range of frequencies between 1.8 30 MHz. Longer length antennas generally provide better low frequency efficiency but take up a larger footprint of land. One BBTD that has worked well at the AK6R antenna farm is shown below. Many other designs are available and can be found at www.HFLINK.COM as well as other internet sites. Your mileage may vary using this antenna, but as a general coverage antenna for ham and shortwave broadcast, the simplicity can’t be beat even though an individual dipole on a specific band may out perform this broad band dipole. Palomar Engineers has all the parts you need to build this antenna, so why not give it a try?
Depending on the source of the antenna design, different value baluns are specified. Our Bullet(TM) baluns in ratios of 9:1, 12:1 and 16:1 are excellent for this type of antenna as they are broadband from 1.8-61 MHz and will take up to 500 watts PEP.
Use for 3/8″ Cable – RG-8X, LMR-240, etc
For 3/8” cables use five FSB31-3/8 split beads for 80-10 meters (3-30 mHz) or ten FSB-3/8 split beads for 160-10 (1.8-30 MHz) meters or use 15 FSB31-3/8 for even higher choking for 1-10 MHz.
Typical Impedance per split bead: 10 MHz: 100 ohms, 25 MHz: 163 ohms, 100 MHz: 275 ohms, 250 MHz: 275 ohm
Minimum recommended total impedance is 500 ohms at frequency of interest.
The beads clamp to the cable and may be operated as is for indoor use. However, it is strongly suggested that they be covered to protect the plastic covers from weathering – use electrical tape for best results or heat shrink to ensure longer life. All kits come with instruction manual which covers assembly and application tips.
As you can see from the impedance vs frequency graph, you can very effectively increase the choking impedance by increasing the number of beads on the cable.
Likewise Termination Resistor values vary from 500-1250 ohms and we have a good selection shown HERE: