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Subelement G9

ANTENNAS AND FEED LINES

Section G9A

Antenna feed lines: characteristic impedance, and attenuation; SWR calculation, measurement and effects; matching networks

Which of the following factors determine the characteristic impedance of a parallel conductor antenna feed line?

  • Correct Answer
    The distance between the centers of the conductors and the radius of the conductors
  • The distance between the centers of the conductors and the length of the line
  • The radius of the conductors and the frequency of the signal
  • The frequency of the signal and the length of the line

The characteristic impedance of a parallel conductor antenna feed line is determined by the distance between the centers of the conductors and the radius of the conductors.


Neither of the following have anything to do with the characteristic impedance of a parallel conductor antenna feed line:

  • The length of the line
  • The frequency of the signal

By eliminating all the answers containing these two things, the only answer remaining is the correct one.

For more info see Wikipedia: Characteristic impedance, Feed line

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What are the typical characteristic impedances of coaxial cables used for antenna feed lines at amateur stations?

  • 25 and 30 ohms
  • Correct Answer
    50 and 75 ohms
  • 80 and 100 ohms
  • 500 and 750 ohms

50 and 75 ohms are the typical characteristic impedances of coaxial cable used for antenna feed lines at amateur stations. The standardization of impedances for coaxial cables makes them very useful for antenna applications where impedances must be matched for optimum signal power output.

For more info see Wikipedia: Coaxial cables, Feed lines

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What is the characteristic impedance of flat ribbon TV type twinlead?

  • 50 ohms
  • 75 ohms
  • 100 ohms
  • Correct Answer
    300 ohms

(D). The characteristic impedance of flat ribbon TV type twinlead is 300 ohms. This type of cable is made of up two parallel wires which are kept at a precise distance apart by encasing in a flat plastic ribbon. This type of ribbon is commonly used for TV radio antenna applications.

Commonly referred to as ladder line

For more info see Wikipedia: Twin lead

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What is the reason for the occurrence of reflected power at the point where a feed line connects to an antenna?

  • Operating an antenna at its resonant frequency
  • Using more transmitter power than the antenna can handle
  • Correct Answer
    A difference between feed-line impedance and antenna feed-point impedance
  • Feeding the antenna with unbalanced feed line

The reason for the occurrence of reflected power at the point where a feed line connects to an antenna is because of a difference between feed-line impedance and antenna feed-point impedance.


Impedances of the feed-line and antenna feed-point should be matched to prevent power reflection as a standing wave (the greater the difference in impedance, the greater the reflected energy). Matching impedances optimizes the system for more complete signal power.

easy remember point to point in answer

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How does the attenuation of coaxial cable change as the frequency of the signal it is carrying increases?

  • It is independent of frequency
  • Correct Answer
    It increases
  • It decreases
  • It reaches a maximum at approximately 18 MHz

Attenuation is another word for loss, where some of the energy is converted to heat. All cables have some amount of loss, generally measured in loss in dB per unit length (e.g. feet or meters).

The higher the frequency, the higher the attenuation and loss.


Think about how heat works: it's molecules that are jiggling. The faster they jiggle, the higher the temperature. The higher the frequency, the more often electrons are bumping into molecules and setting them in motion.

A useful analogy is to think about people walking in a corridor. When there are few people they're much less likely to bump into each other. The more crowded it is, the more likely people are to bump into each other.

For more info see Wikipedia: Coaxial cable


Memory hint: Attenuation increases when frequency increases

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In what values are RF feed line losses usually expressed?

  • ohms per 1000 ft
  • dB per 1000 ft
  • ohms per 100 ft
  • Correct Answer
    dB per 100 ft

The values for RF feed line losses are usually expressed in dB per 100 ft.

The amount of signal loss through a substance is referred to as its attenuation. The attenuation of various feed lines, such as coaxial cables standardized in units of dB per 100 ft (or metric dB/meter). It is important to note that attenuation is also frequency dependant, and so the dB per 100 feet will often be expressed along with a standard frequency, such as for coax at 750 MHz.

For more info see Wikipedia: Coaxial cable, Attenuation

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What must be done to prevent standing waves on an antenna feed line?

  • The antenna feed point must be at DC ground potential
  • The feed line must be cut to an odd number of electrical quarter wavelengths long
  • The feed line must be cut to an even number of physical half wavelengths long
  • Correct Answer
    The antenna feed-point impedance must be matched to the characteristic impedance of the feed line

(D). The antenna feed-point impedance must be matched to the characteristic impedance of the feed line to prevent standing waves on an antenna feed line.

When the impedances are not matched, the standing waves may be reflected back which will raise the feed line standing wave ratio (SWR). These reflections should be eliminated by matching impedances to maximize power output and reduce the SWR.

For more info see Wikipedia: Impedance matching, SWR (standing wave ratio)

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If the SWR on an antenna feed line is 5 to 1, and a matching network at the transmitter end of the feed line is adjusted to 1 to 1 SWR, what is the resulting SWR on the feed line?

  • 1 to 1
  • Correct Answer
    5 to 1
  • Between 1 to 1 and 5 to 1 depending on the characteristic impedance of the line
  • Between 1 to 1 and 5 to 1 depending on the reflected power at the transmitter

It won't help to adjust the transmitter end of the feed line, you need to adjust the antenna end of the line.

Sticking a matching network adjusted to 1:1 at the transmitter end of things will leave you with an unchanged standing wave ratio of 5:1.

For more info see Wikipedia: standing wave ratio (SWR)

Hint: The answer is in the question: the Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) of the feed line is 5 to 1

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What standing wave ratio will result from the connection of a 50-ohm feed line to a non-reactive load having a 200-ohm impedance?

  • Correct Answer
    4:1
  • 1:4
  • 2:1
  • 1:2

Remember, SWR is always 1:1 or greater. Thus, you can eliminate the distractors 1:2 and 1:4, which are both less than 1:1.

The standing wave ratio that will result from the connection of a 50-ohm feed line to a non-reactive load having a 200-ohm impedance is 4:1.

To calculate the standing wave ratio (SWR) in a case where the load is non-reactive, simply divide the greater impedance by the lesser impedance, thereby giving a value greater than one.

For this problem: \begin{align} \text{SWR} &= \frac{ 200\ \Omega }{ \ \ 50\ \Omega }\\ &= 4 \end{align}

We describe this as a "4:1 SWR".

For more info see Wikipedia: Standing wave ratio (SWR)

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What standing wave ratio will result from the connection of a 50-ohm feed line to a non-reactive load having a 10-ohm impedance?

  • 2:1
  • 50:1
  • 1:5
  • Correct Answer
    5:1

(D). The standing wave ratio that will result from the connection of a 50-ohm feed line to a non-reactive load having a 10-ohm impedance is 5:1.

In cases where the load is non-reactive, the SWR may be calculated by simply dividing the greater impedance value divided by the lesser impedance value (whichever fraction will give a result greater than 1).

In this problem:

\begin{align} \text{SWR} &= \frac{ 50\ \Omega }{ 10\ \Omega}\\ &= 5 \end{align}

...which we can express as a 5:1 SWR.

For more info see Wikipedia: Standing wave ratio (SWR)

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What standing wave ratio will result from the connection of a 50-ohm feed line to a non-reactive load having a 50-ohm impedance?

  • 2:1
  • Correct Answer
    1:1
  • 50:50
  • 0:0

The standing wave ratio that will result from the connection of a 50-ohm feed line to a non-reactive load having a 50-ohm impedance is 1:1.

Where the load is non-reactive, you can calculate the SWR by simply dividing the greater impedance value by the lesser value (giving a value or fraction greater than 1).

For this problem:

SWR = 50 Ω / 50 Ω = 1 or expressed as a 1:1 SWR

For more info see Wikipedia: Standing wave ratio

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What would be the SWR if you feed a vertical antenna that has a 25-ohm feed-point impedance with 50-ohm coaxial cable?

  • Correct Answer
    2:1
  • 2.5:1
  • 1.25:1
  • You cannot determine SWR from impedance values

(A). If you feed a vertical antenna that has a 25-ohm feed-point impedance with a 50-ohm coaxial cable, the SWR will be 2:1.

In cases were the load is non-reactive, the standing wave ratio (SWR) may be calculated by simply dividing the greater impedance by the lesser impedance (whichever way around gives a value or fraction greater than 1).

For this problem:

SWR = 50 Ω / 25 Ω = 2 or expressed as a 2:1 SWR

For more info see Wikipedia: Standing wave ratio (SWR)

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What would be the SWR if you feed an antenna that has a 300-ohm feed-point impedance with 50-ohm coaxial cable?

  • 1.5:1
  • 3:1
  • Correct Answer
    6:1
  • You cannot determine SWR from impedance values

(C). The SWR for an antenna that has a 300-ohm feed-point impedance fed with a 50-ohm coaxial cable is 6:1.

If the load is non-reactive, the standing wave ratio (SWR) may be calculated by simply dividing the greater impedance value by the lesser value (whichever way around gives a value greater than 1).

For this problem:

SWR = 300 Ω / 50 Ω = 6 or expressed as a 6:1 SWR

For more info see Wikipedia: Standing wave ratio (SWR)

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