“ You can’t get

much done in life

if you only work
on the days you
feel good. “

Jerry West
NBA Hall of Famer
 Transmission Line is a metallic conductor system
that is used to transfer electrical energy from one
point to another.
 Electromagnetic Waves are form of radiant energy
like heat, light, radio, X-ray, and television waves
that are considered to be oscillatory disturbances in
free space.
 Electromagnetic Waves that travel along a
transmission line from the source toward the load.

 Electromagnetic Waves that travel from the load

back toward the source.
 Wave Velocity

c
 Frequency
=
 Wavelength
f
 Balanced or Differential

 Unbalanced or Single-Ended
 A circuit device used to connect a balanced
transmission line to unbalanced load
 It consists simply of two parallel wires, closely
spaced and separated by air.

 The distance between two conductors is generally

between 2 inches and 6 inches.

 The dielectric is air.

 Twin Lead is also known as Ribbon Cable.

 Twin Lead is essentially the same with Open-wire

transmission line except that it is separated by solid
dielectric rather than air.

 The distance of two conductors is 5/16 inch for

television transmission cable.
 A twisted-pair cable is formed by twisting together
two insulated conductors.

 Twisted-pair configuration:
 Pair
 Units
 Cores
 Coaxial cables are used extensively for high-
frequency applications to reduce losses and to
isolate transmission paths.

 Coaxial cable provides excellent shielding against

external interference.
 Rigid-Air Filled Coaxial
Cable has a center conductor
surrounded coaxially by a
tubular outer conductor and
the insulating material is air.
 The outer conductor is physically isolated and
separated from the center conductor by a spacer.
Electromagnetic waves that travel along a
transmission line from the source toward the load
are called _____.

A. incident wave
B. transverse wave
C. reflected wave
D. longitudinal wave
What is the actual length of one-quarter wavelength
of a coax with a velocity factor of 0.65 at 30 MHz?

A. 70 m
B. 6.5 m
C. 1.63 m
D. 5.33 m
A classification of transmission line where both
conductors carry current, one conductor carries the
signal and the other is the return.

A. unbalanced line
B. common mode line
C. single ended
D. differential line
The most common type of balun used in
relatively high frequency

A. Narrowband
B. Choke
C. Sleeve
D. All of these
If the two towers of a 950-kHz antenna
are separated by 120 electrical degrees,
what is the tower separation in feet?

A. 231 ft
B. 235 ft
C. 176 ft
D. 345 ft
 Primary Constants

 Secondary Constants
 The Primary Constant are uniformly distributed
throughout the length of the line and commonly
called Distributed Parameters.

 Series Resistance
 Series Inductance
 Shunt Conductance
 Shunt Capacitance
 TheTransmission Characteristics
of a transmission line are called
Secondary Constants.
 Characteristic impedance

 Propagation Constant
 For maximum power transfer from the
source to the load, a transmission line
must be terminated in a purely resistive
load equal to the characteristic
impedance of the line.

 Also known as Surge Impedance.

 L
Zo =
C
 276 D
Zo = log
 r
r

138 D
Zo = log
 r
d
 Propagation Constant is used to express
the attenuation and the phase shift per
unit length of a transmission line.

 =  + j
= ( R + jL )( G + jC )
Determine the characteristic impedance for an air
dielectric two-wire parallel transmission line with
the ratio of distance between cables and diameter of
a balanced line is equal 6.11.

A. 150 ohms
B. 250 ohms
C. 217 ohms
D. 300 ohms
Defined as the impedance seen looking at an
infinitely long line or the impedance seen
looking into a finite length of the line that is
terminated in a purely resistive load with the
resistance equal to the characteristic
Impedance of the line.
A. Input impedance
B. Surge impedance
C. Output impedance
D. Circuit impedance
A coaxial cable has a capacitance of 40 pF
per ft. and a characteristic impedance of
60 ohms. Calculate its inductance/ft.

A. 0.72 uH/ft
B. 0.144 uH/ft
C. 0.288 uH/ft
D. 0.36 uH/ft
Calculate the minimum length of a pair of
conductors to be considered as a
transmission line, if its operating
frequency is 800 MHz.

A. 37.5 mm
B. 375 mm
C. 37.5 cm
D. 3.75 mm
In order to avoid reflections, the load
impedance used to terminate RG 62 A/U
is computed as _____.

A. 93
B. 150
C. 75
D. 50
 Velocity Factor is sometimes called Velocity
Constant.

 Velocity Factor is simply the ratio of the actual

velocity of propagation through a given medium to
the velocity of propagation through free space.
 Vp
Vf =
c
1
Vf =
r
 Delay Lines are transmission lines designed to
intentionally introduce a time delay in the path of
electromagnetic wave.

 The amount of time delay is a function of the

transmission line’s inductance and capacitance.
t d = LC
t d = 1.016
 The inherent and unavoidable power loss because of
the finite resistance of the transmission line.

 Sometimes called conductor or conductor heating

loss or I2R loss.
 A difference of potential between
the two conductors of a transmission
line causes dielectric heating.
 If the separation between the conductors in a
transmission line is an appreciable fraction of
a wavelength, the electrostatic and
electromagnetic fields that surround the
conductor cause the line to act as an antenna.
 Coupling loss occurs whenever a
connection is made to or from a
transmission line or when two separated
pieces of transmission line are
connected together.
 Corona is a luminous discharge that occurs
between the two conductors of a transmission
line when the difference of potential between
them exceeds the breakdown voltage of the
dielectric insulator.
A commonly used coaxial cable, RG-8A/U, has a
capacitance of 29.5 pF/ft and inductance of 73.75
nF/ft. Determine the velocity of propagation
introduced by a 1-ft section of this coaxial cable use
as a delay line.

A. 2 x 10^ 8 m/s
B. 3 x 10^ 8 m/s
C. 1 x 10^ 8 m/s
D. 4 x 10^ 8 m/s
It is defined simply as the ratio of the actual velocity
of propagation through a given medium to the
velocity of propagation through space.

A. velocity factor
B. propagation constant
C. propagation delay
D. velocity ratio
Calculate the time delay in nanosecond
introduced by a 100 ft coaxial cable with
a dielectric constant of 2.3.

A. 230
B. 152
C. 154
D. 15.2
Calculate the velocity factor of a coaxial
cable, used as a transmission line, with a
characteristic impedance of 50 ohms,
capacitance is 40 pF/m and inductance
equal to 50 uH/m.
A. 0.073
B. 0.44
C. 0.22
D. 0.73
The typical value of the velocity factor of
an open-wire transmission line is

A. 0.8
B. 0.7
C. 0.6
D. 0.9
What is the actual length in feet of a one
quarter wavelength of a coax with a
velocity factor of 0.695 at 42 MHz?

A. 17.82
B. 16.28
C. 19.26
D. 16.97
 A transmission line is nonresonant if it is of infinite
length or if it is terminated with a resistive load
equal to the ohmic value of the characteristic
impedance of the transmission lines.
 In a Resonant line, the energy is alternately
transferred between the magnetic and electric fields
of the distributed inductance and capacitance of the
line.
 The reflection coefficient is a vector
quantity that represents the ratio of
the reflected voltage to incident
voltage or reflected current to
incident current.
 Ir Er
= =
Ii Ei
 The two traveling waves setup an interference
pattern known as Standing Waves.
 Standing Wave Ratio is defined as the ratio of
the maximum voltage to the minimum
voltage or the maximum current to the
minimum current of a standing wave.
 Zo
SWR = Z o  ZL
ZL

ZL
SWR = ZL  Z o
Zo
 Vmax
VSWR =
Vmin

Imax
ISWR =
Imin
 SWR − 1
=
SWR + 1

1+ 
SWR =
1− 
A generator sends 50mW down a 50-ohm line. The
generator is matched to the line, but the load is not.
If the coefficient of reflection is 0.5, how much
power is reflected?

A. 7.65W
B. 37.5W
C. 12.5W
D. 14W
An open transmission line 6 inches long acts as a/an
___ at a frequency of 492 MHz.

A. Parallel resonant circuit

B. Series resonant circuit
C. Inductive reactance
D. Capacitive reactance
A 50-ohm coax is connected to a 73-ohm
antenna. The SWR is

A. 0.685
B. 1
C. 1.46
D. 2.92
For matched condition, what is the
relationship of load and characteristic
impedance?

A. Greater than
B. Less than
C. Equal
D. Impossible to say
 RL= Zo: the quarter wavelength line acts as a
transformer with a 1:1 turns

 RL> Zo: the quarter wavelength line acts as a step-

down transformer

 RL< Zo: the quarter wavelength line acts as a step-up

transformer
Zo ' = ZZ
o L
 When the load is complex impedance, it is
necessary to use Stub to remove the reactive
component to match the transmission line to the
load.
Tx Line Input Impedance
A short section of a transmission line, open or
shorted that is used to match the impedance of the
line to that of an antenna or transmitter.

A. Slotted line
B. Stub
C. Wavetrap
D. Lecher wire
A pulse is transmitted down a cable that has a
velocity of propagation of 0.8c. The reflected signal
is received 1 microsec later. How far down is the
cable impairment?

A. 150m
B. 120m
C. 100m
D. 200m
If the length of a open-circuited stub is
less than quarter-wavelength but greater
than 0, the stub behaves as

A. inductor
B. capacitor
C. resistor
D. complex
Impedance inversion maybe obtained
with __________.

A. a half-wave line
B. an open-circuited stub
C. a short-circuited stub
D. a quarter-wave line
13 Items Transmission Lines:
6 Problem Solving Questions
7 Objective Questions
1. The characteristic impedance will
_________, if the spacing between the
wires of a balanced transmission line is
increased.

A. Increase
B. Remain the same
C. Decrease
D. Cannot be determined
2. If the length of a short-circuited stub is
less than quarter-wavelength but greater
than 0, the stub behaves as

A. inductor
B. capacitor
C. resistor
D. complex
3. The desirable SWR on a transmission
line is

A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. infinity
4. An antenna is being fed by a properly
terminated two-wire transmission line. The
current in the line at the input end is 3A. The
surge impedance of the line is 500 ohms. How
much power is being supplied to the line?

A. 3.1 kW
B. 2.5 kW
C. 1.6 kW
D. 4.5 kW
5. A transmitter supplies 50W through a
line with an SWR of 2:1. What is the
power absorbed by the load?

A. 31W
B. 22.5W
C. 44W
D. 15W
6. A coaxial cable with two layers of foil
insulation and two layers of braided
shielding.

A. Quad shielding
B. Double shielding
C. Triple shielding
D. Shielding
7. How is the time delay calculated in
coaxial cables with a dielectric constant
of 0.66

A. 0.56 sec
B. 0.67 sec
C. 0.45 sec
D. 1.2 sec
8. For a transmission line with an incident
voltage of 5V and a reflected voltage of
3V, determine the reflection coefficient.

A. 0.4
B. 0.6
C. 0.5
D. 0.7
9. The main disadvantage of the two-hole
directional coupler is

A. low directional coupling

B. poor directivity
C. high SWR
D. narrow bandwidth
10. Sound travels approximately

A. 2200 feet per second

B. 1100 feet per second
C. 550 feet per second
D. 600 feet per second
11. In AWG, the higher the wire gauge _____

A. the higher the diameter and the lower the

resistance
B. the smaller the diameter and the higher the
resistance
C. the smaller the diameter and the higher the
conductance
D. the larger the diameter and the higher the
resistance
12. The minimum voltage along a
transmission line is 260V, while the
maximum is 390V. The SWR is

A. 0.67
B. 1.0
C. 1.5
D. 1.2
1. The characteristic impedance will
_________, if the spacing between the
wires of a balanced transmission line is
increased.

A. Increase
B. Remain the same
C. Decrease
D. Cannot be determined
2. If the length of a short-circuited stub is
less than quarter-wavelength but greater
than 0, the stub behaves as

A. inductor
B. capacitor
C. resistor
D. complex
3. The desirable SWR on a transmission
line is

A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. infinity
4. An antenna is being fed by a properly
terminated two-wire transmission line. The
current in the line at the input end is 3A. The
surge impedance of the line is 500 ohms. How
much power is being supplied to the line? M

A. 3.1 kW
B. 2.5 kW
C. 1.6 kW
D. 4.5 kW
5. A transmitter supplies 50W through a
line with an SWR of 2:1. What is the
power absorbed by the load?

A. 31W
B. 22.5W
C. 44W
D. 15W
6. A coaxial cable with two layers of foil
insulation and two layers of braided
shielding.

A. Quad shielding
B. Double shielding
C. Triple shielding
D. Shielding
7. How is the time delay calculated in
coaxial cables with a dielectric constant
of 0.66

A. 0.56 sec
B. 0.67 sec
C. 0.45 sec
D. 1.2 sec
8. For a transmission line with an incident
voltage of 5V and a reflected voltage of
3V, determine the reflection coefficient.

A. 0.4
B. 0.6
C. 0.5
D. 0.7
9. The main disadvantage of the two-hole
directional coupler is

A. low directional coupling

B. poor directivity
C. high SWR
D. narrow bandwidth
10. Sound travels approximately

A. 2200 feet per second

B. 1100 feet per second
C. 550 feet per second
D. 600 feet per second
11. In AWG, the higher the wire gauge _____

A. the higher the diameter and the lower the

resistance
B. the smaller the diameter and the higher the
resistance
C. the smaller the diameter and the higher the
conductance
D. the larger the diameter and the higher the
resistance
12. The minimum voltage along a
transmission line is 260V, while the
maximum is 390V. The SWR is

A. 0.67
B. 1.0
C. 1.5
D. 1.2