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Balun Designs

Actually I didn’t design anything. I didn’t even copy a balun design. I just bought one.

Did you ever have the feeling of not knowing what to do with your money? Well, I did. A thick pack of paper money and not knowing what to do with it. Wait – before you label me ‘cocky’, let me explain. Over the years I’ve accumulated a relative big pile of US Dollar bills. These came with direct QSL requests. Having the Dollars exchanged for Euros would only make the bank richer since they charge a transaction fee. I never send QSL direct anymore. If I wanted to sponsor the occasional DXpedition, most of them offer PayPal to do that. So how do you get rid of money without giving it away? You buy something. I bought a balun. Baluns always come in handy and it’s about the only thing I could buy with the number of Dollars in the stack.

I decided to order one at Balun Designs. I must admit: their price is right. If I need to buy an enclosure, a ferrite core and some hardware, and put it all together, the price is not too much. Of course it cost almost as much as the balun itself to get it here. The company owner provided the right information on the cargo label so my box slipped through Belgian customs without having to pay VAT. Import taxes do not apply since ham radio stuff is tax free when imported.

I bought a 1:1 balun with 2 PL’s. That way, I can use it as a ‘line isolator’ and if I wanted to feed an antenna with it, I only need to add a short coax jumper. I have no real plans for it right now. I’ll just let it hibernate for a while. I do have something in mind but I’m waiting for spring.

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