OM Basanta VU2NIL built a very nice antenna tuner using homebrew variable capacitors (above). After seeing this, I feel unworthy -- I used FACTORY-MADE variable capacitors. I feel like such an appliance operator. I hang my head in shame.
Details on Basanta's tuner are here: https://www.qsl.net/vu2nil/projects/20210/20210.html
More project from him here: https://www.qsl.net/vu2nil/
And more here (his blog): https://vu2nil.blogspot.com/
Basanta has obviously made great contributions to the radio art. Thanks Basanta. And thanks to Alain F4IET for alerting me to Basanta's work.
Simple and effective. One SWR bridge I built a while back called for a 5 to 7pF 600v coupling capacitor made of double sided,PCB. This was easy to reproduce, you simply find a scrap of double sided board, solder a pigtail wire to each side. A few square centimeters of PCB exhibit about 5pF. To trim the capacitance, simply clip off a corner while attached to the LC Meter and watch the pF drop. When you get down to the desired capacitance, slip a piece of heatshrink over the whole thing. Voila! Bob's your Mother's Brother.
ReplyDelete73 Paul VK3HN.
This is the kind of work QST should be honoring. This is much cooler than that antenna made of beer cans they featured on the cover not long ago.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very creative and efficient solution for the variable capacitors.
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