I realise I'm knit picking here but the correct term you want is balun 
that's b a l u n.
named so for it's primary task to transform ballenced to unballenced
hence balun. sorry but it was getting in my ear a bit.

Shaun
web sites:
http://www.myspace.com/blindmanshaunoliver
http://blindman.homelinux.org/~blindman/
skype: brailledude


On 2/04/2008 5:18 AM, the old scribe known as John Miller was able to 
impart this pearl of wisdom:
> The cobra antenna is a folded dipole, they took 3 wire ribbon cable, and the 
> ladder line connects to 1 wire, which goes out about 70 feet, then it's 
> connected to the center wire which comes back to the center insulator, and 
> is shorted to the third wire and goes back out again, and they do this for 
> each side of the ladder line. Both sides are like 70 feet for a total of 140 
> feet with 100 feet of ladder line included so you need to put a ballem at 
> the end of that to run coax to your station, unless you want to run ladder 
> line all the way in. I guess when you add up the wire, it's 3 times that 140 
> feet though with it being like ribbon cable, I don't know if that changes 
> anything or not with it. The original design used Romex, but being single 
> strand wire, that broke too often but this design looks to me, like it's 
> rather well built and very easy to make on your own. It's a lot lighter than 
> the g5RV, everyone I know who has them likes them a lot. I'm looking forward 
> to getting mine up.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 1:43 PM
> Subject: Re: Cobra antennas (was Re: Amplifiers)
> 
> 
>> what is the difference between the g5RV and the cobra antennas?
>> I know how a g5RV is designed, but how is the cobra designed?
>> 73
>> Colin, V A6BKX
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Steve Dresser" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 11:04 AM
>> Subject: Cobra antennas (was Re: Amplifiers)
>>
>>
>>> Howard,
>>>
>>> I've been using the Cobra Ultralite Senior for almost three years, and
>> like
>>> it very much.  Mine plays very well on 80 and 40, and somewhat well on 20
>>> and 17.  I've tried it on 10, and I know it works, but don't really know
>> how
>>> well as I haven't seen much 10-meter activity here in New England.  On 
>>> 80,
>>> where it seems to work best, people give me the same S-meter readings as 
>>> I
>>> give them, which I realize isn't necessarily a good indication of how
>> things
>>> are working.  On some of the other bands, I tend to hear better than
>> people
>>> hear me, which makes me suspect that maybe the antenna isn't working as
>> well
>>> as it should.
>>>
>>> It's an easy antenna to put up, and I have mine strung between two trees,
>>> about 20 feet off the ground.  It might work better if I could raise the
>>> center up another 30 feet or so, but I haven't figured out a good way to
>>> support the center.  Raising the center might also make it play better on
>>> the higher frequencies, but I won't know unless and until I try it.  I'm
>>> quite sure I could do better with a beam on a tower, but I have to say
>> that
>>> this antenna does quite well for a one-size-fits-all antenna.
>> Incidentally,
>>> I haven't had to repair it even though we get some 50MPH winds during the
>>> winter.
>>>
>>> Steve
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Howard Kaufman" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 18:30
>>> Subject: Re: Amplifiers
>>>
>>>
>>>> John I am very interested in the cobra, what do you think of yours?
>>>> I'd like to use it on 160 through 10.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
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>> 5:38 AM
>>>
> 
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