Dipole Antenna Feeder

thingiverse

This is a simple Feeder for a (Shortwave) Dipole Antenna with a SO259 (PL) panel mounting socket. BOM: 4x Brass Curl nuts M4 (6x6,3mm) 4x M4 x 10mm Flat head screw 1x SO259 panel mounting socket 2x M4 x 25mm (dipole connection) 6x M4 nuts 6x M4 washers I included fhe Fusion360 design file and a step file as well. I printed the case in PETG since it's more resistant to UV than PLA. A layer of primer + paint might bring some additional UV resistance. I drilled a 3mm hole on the bottom so that condensation water has a way to escape. Before installation I sealed the gap between the lid and the body with rubber splicing tape (Scotch 23) and normal insulating tape. Please be aware, that connecting a Balanced Antenna (DIpole) to an unbalanced (coaxial) Feedline (e.g. RG58, RG213) requires a voltage or current transformer (BalUn). The easiest way is to add a current balun - a common-mode choke. The easiest way to build a common mode choke is to add 10-20 ferrite sleeves with high permeability (e.g. ferrite -43 Material) close to the end of the coaxial cable. https://www.dx-wire.de sells assembled W2DU common mode chokes as an alternative.