OPEN-WIRE  vs  COAX - Which is best? 

Submitted by Tom K1JJ

: OK....here is a general question, what is the better feedline and why. Coax or open wire (ladder line)??? Comments please.
Dave

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Hi Dave,

So, now that you got the new Class E mawl working, you're looking to improve on the aerial, huh?... :-)

Just like Harley and Honda, Ford and Chevy... depends upon what you want. Both open wire and coax are OK fine.

If used correctly, you would never see the difference on the air using coax or open-wire for the same antenna....assuming the open-wire/tuner and coax is matched correctly.

The great advantage of open wire is it's low loss under high SWR conditions permitting multi-band use with one flat top dipole and ant tuner.

It also maintains antenna electrical balance that coax does not unless a coaxial or other balun is used.

It's also great if you need to make a 1000' run to the antenna or run 1 megawatt++.

Another open wire application is tying together elements of a wire array, like a Sterba curtain, W8JK, Lazy H, etc.

The disadvantage is that it is environmentally sensitive - WX, that is. Also routing to the shack is more difficult.

Also, needs a big tuner and requires adjustment each time a band is changed or major freq excursion.

Coax is great for mono-band antennas using a coaxial balun. Run it underground, coil it up, taped and run up tower legs, no problem. Even a single coax fed, common feedpoint, multi-wire dipole antenna works fine if multiband operation is your objective. Weatherproof.

I used to have six different open wires coming into the shack with a tuner for each back 15 years ago.

I now exclusively use hardline and RG-213 coax for all sixteen antennas here. Love to switch bands/directions in a second with a flick of the coax switch.

If you have room for separate MONO-BAND antennas and the coax is matched to the antenna correctly, I personally feel coax is the best way to go. Each individual ant horiz and vert pattern can be optimized for the band and use by controlling dipole length and height above ground this way.

Though, open wire is a VERY popular choice of many of the guys on this board. If I had just ONE antenna to choose for all band use, it would certainly be an openwire fed 180' long flat top as high as possible. (using good quality homemade openwire, of course)

73,

Tom, K1JJ