Amateur Radio Station K2AAW/WA2FNQ



20 Years After
Sharing Antennas


This is the light open wire feedline which ran to my dad's station. It was fine for him as he was running only 100 watts PEP SSB. I was running 500 to 600 watts of AM ( legal at that time ) and the conductors of this transmission line were too small. I actually vaporized sections of the line feeding the antenna so I wound up building my own open wire line.


This is where the homebrew open wire feedline comes through the wall using 2 ceramic feed throughs. The high power 75 meter antenna tuner is on the other side of the wall. The open wire feedline is made using plastic electric fence post insulators. I purchased them at an agriculture supply store for, if I remember right, a few bucks for a bag of 50. I drilled each and passed the wires through. The 300 ohm line is from the Johnson Matchbox.


This ceramic knife switch was used to change the antenna between dad's station and mine. The 300 ohm line is connected where the homebrew feeders from the high power tuner is normally connected. Why I don't know. I don't remember what was done and why. That was 22 years ago from this writing. The white wires are center conductors removed from RG - 8 coax and runs up to the open wire line which runs along the ceiling.


Here's the open wire feedline as it runs along the ceiling.


The feedline exits the shack again using the center conductors of RG - 8 coax.


Yes, things did get hot at one point when the feedline shorted.


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