Unboxing the BalUn Designs 4116T 4:1 3kW BalUn

If you have been following my channel for the past couple of months, you know that my Palstar AT-Auto tuner failed, after nearly 20 years, and I’ve been using the ATU that is built into the Elecraft KPA-1500 legal limit amplifier. The Palstar AT-Auto had balanced line lugs on the back, with a 4:1 BalUn inside the tuner. So I connected the ladder line (450-Ohm window line in my case) from my 160m Doublet Antenna System directly to the back of the AT-Auto.

Since the AT-Auto is out of commission for now, I switched to the ATU in the KPA-1500, but there is no balanced line connection on the amplifier, nor is there a built-in 4:1 BalUn. The KPA-1500 does feature two antenna ports that I can choose from. So, I assigned my antenna switch to antenna port 1, and I planned to connect my Doublet antenna system to antenna port 2. But I needed a BalUn between the amplifier and the window line.

I called BalUn Designs, since I have purchased from them in the past. I wanted to see if they could make a 4:1 5kW BalUn, since I didn’t see one on their website. The gentleman I spoke with at BalUn Designs recommended their model 1171T (1:1 @ 97-Ohms 5kW) BalUn instead of their model 4116T (4:1 3kW) BalUn. He explained that the 1171T was designed with a Doublet Antenna System in mind. 97 Ohms might seem odd but with the feedpoint impedance of approximately 73 Ohms (typical for a tuned dipole) and 450-Ohm window line, the impedance is already varying. Apparently, their testing has shown that 97 Ohms impedance in and out of the BalUn works well in this case.

So, I ordered the 1171T and it was featured a few weeks ago in another unboxing video. I later ordered the 4116T, just to compare the performance of a 4:1, 200 to 50-Ohm, BalUn to the 1:1, 97-Ohm, BalUn for my antenna system. In this video, I show the performance of the BalUn Designs model 4116T (4:1 200 to 50-Ohms 3kW).

I hope you enjoy this video and find it helpful. If you find my channel informative and entertaining, I hope you will consider joining my support group by clicking on: www.patreon.com/N4HNH There are 3 levels of support, including exclusive content for Executive and VIP level supporters.

Another great way to help support this channel is to click subscribe.

73, de N4HNH