Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Antenna traps enable a single light, compact, and just the thing for antenna made with traps starts with
antenna to be tuned to multiple those who like to tote their rigs to the a length of wire tuned to the lowest
bands for efficient transmission — the back country to work mountaintop band of interest. A trap is then
more traps, the more bands. A favor- multiband low-power DX. inserted at the length that would tune
ite homebrew construction method the antenna to the next highest band
wraps a length of coax around a How Traps Work of interest, which effectively removes
PVC pipe form and cross-connects A trap is a parallel LC circuit, which, the excess length, due to the trap’s
the shield and inner conductor. While at or near resonance, has a high high impedance. Repeat for the next
this is efficient for fixed installations, it impedance. Think of it as a fre- highest band, and so on. As stated,
is too heavy and bulky for lightweight quency-dependent switch that is this is a conceptualization, and in a
portable operation. The method open at or near resonance and real system there are interactions
described here, adapted from printed closed at all other frequencies. and other effects that will be dis-
cussed later.
Tuning Procedure
This procedure relies on a technique end. Use the following procedure to frequency measurement is correct
known as dipping. The term derives tune a trap to a particular band: only when the dip is very shallow
from a versatile instrument originally 1 Start with JP2 set to use the entire because the proximity of the probe
known as a grid-dip oscillator, which spiral. coil to the trap spiral detunes the
would indicate by a dip in grid cur- trap.
2 Suspend the trap well away from
rent that its tunable LC oscillator was
other objects. Note that the trap 5 Now move JP2 to use less of the
resonantly coupled to another LC spiral. After each small move, cut
circuit. Today, the grid-dip oscillator cannot be dipped while connected
to an antenna, so do not connect a gap in the stripline trace just
has been largely supplanted by the behind JP2 so that the unused por-
antenna analyzer. I use a Comet any wires to the trap during this
procedure. tions are disconnected.
CA500 MK-II. However, an MFJ-
259B or similar antenna analyzer 3 Make your first reading with the 6 Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the
would be fine. You could even use probe coil close to the trap. Sweep trap is tuned 1 – 5% below the
an old-fashioned grid-dip meter. the analyzer frequency upward band. Tuning slightly outside of the
from below the band until you find band reduces the stress on the
A probe coil loosely couples the the first deep dip. Disregard any trap because the voltages across
antenna analyzer to the antenna trap dips at higher frequencies. the trap will peak at resonance. If
spiral loop. The probe is comprised you go too far, solder a small wire
of a 1-inch-diameter loop of solid 4 Move the coil away from the trap across the gap. It is not critical
wire at one end of a short length of a little and again find the first dip, that both traps for a band be tuned
coax, with a suitable connector for which will now be shallower. Trap exactly the same.
your antenna analyzer at the other
Setting Up a
Trapped Dipole 6 Lastly, shorten the end wires to
set the frequency for the lowest
band. Add end insulators and sup-
Photos by the author.
John Portune, W6NBC, is an ARRL member
and frequent contributor to QST. He has
Below is a step-by-step procedure for
port lines. been licensed for 52 years and has held an
configuring a multiband trapped wire Amateur Extra-class license since 1972.
antenna. A 1:1 current (Guanella) John has a B.S. in physics and also holds
balun at the feed point is essential Power Handling FCC Commercial General Radiotelephone
Operator and FCC Radiotelegraph licenses.
during setup to prevent the feed line Clearly, these traps are intended for He retired as a broadcast television engi-
from compromising the adjustments. lower-power application. However, neer and technical instructor at KNBC in
Burbank, California, and then from Sony
should you encounter a situation Electronics in San Jose, California. You can