i'm aware that i would have to use a different antenna on 160m. i was hoping to have only one transmission line up to the roof and then rig up a switching system so i can connect different dipoles to the one coaxial line. will a sleeve balun that is long enough for 160m also work on higher frequencies?
You can buy sleeve balan (often called W2DU) kits. Suggest you go with one of those to keep it simple at the start. You can always build your own later. The standard kit is good for 80-10 meters. Making it work on 160 is just a matter of adding more toroids. Keep in mind, a coax fed dipole can only be used on one band
1 anyway, so to cover 80-10, you'll need several dipoles or have to go with an open-wire feedline.
1- Actually, a dipole can be used pretty effectively on odd-harmonics (e.g. a 40 meter dipole can also be used on 15 meters), but you may have a higher SWR than on the fundamental.
holy cow thats a lot of responses! thanks everyone for all the information. sounds like a ferrite sleeve balun would be pretty easy to setup. do i just use whatever torroids have a nice fit over my coaxial cable? how long should i make the sleeve?
will the same sleeve function properly on a variety of bands? eventually i want to get on 160m, but i believe its not allowed on a technician class license.