Antenna tuner: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Telecommunications device}} |
{{Short description|Telecommunications device}} |
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{{Antennas|components}} |
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{{Use American English|date = March 2019}} |
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An '''antenna tuner''', a '''matchbox''', '''transmatch''', '''antenna tuning unit''' ('''ATU'''), '''antenna coupler''', or '''feedline coupler''' is a device connected between a [[radio transmitter]] or receiver and its [[radio antenna|antenna]] to improve power transfer between them by [[Impedance matching|matching]] the [[Electrical impedance|impedance]] of the radio to the antenna's feedline. Antenna tuners are particularly important for use with transmitters. Transmitters feed power into a resistive [[load pull|load]], very often 50 ohms, for which the transmitter is optimally designed for power output, efficiency, and low distortion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Load Pull for Power Devices|website=microwaves101.com|url=https://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/load-pull-for-power-devices|access-date=26 August 2024}}</ref> If the load seen by the transmitter departs from this design value due to improper tuning of the antenna/feedline combination the power output will change, distortion may occur and the transmitter may overheat. |
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{{Use dmy dates|date = January 2021}} |
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[[File:Kenwood AT-230 antenna-tuner-inside.jpg|right|thumb|400px|alt=Gray cabinet front panel with knobs, meter and switches| Front view of a [[#modified_pi_network_anchor|modified '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' type]] antenna tuner, with interior partially exposed.]] |
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ATUs are a standard part of almost all radio transmitters; they may be a [[electric circuit|circuit]] included inside the transmitter itself or a separate piece of equipment connected between the transmitter and the antenna. In transmitters in which the antenna is mounted separate from the transmitter and connected to it by a [[transmission line]] ([[feedline]]), there may be a second ATU (or [[matching network]]) at the antenna to match the impedance of the antenna to the transmission line. In low power transmitters with attached antennas, such as [[cell phone]]s and [[walkie-talkie|walkie-talkies]], the ATU is fixed to work with the antenna. In high power transmitters like [[radio station]]s, the ATU is adjustable to accommodate changes in the antenna or transmitter, and adjusting the ATU to match the transmitter to the antenna is an important procedure done after any changes to these components have been made. This adjustment is done with an instrument called a [[SWR meter]]. |
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An '''antenna tuner''' is a [[electronic component#passive component anchor|passive electronic]] device inserted between a [[transmitter|radio transmitter]] and its [[antenna (radio)|antenna]]. Its purpose is to optimize power transfer by [[impedance matching|matching]] the [[Electrical impedance|impedance]] of the radio to the signal impedance on the [[feedline]] to the antenna. |
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In [[radio receiver]]s ATUs are not so important, because in the low frequency part of the [[radio spectrum]] the [[signal to noise ratio]] (SNR) is dominated by [[radio noise|atmospheric noise]]. It does not matter if the impedance of the antenna and receiver are mismatched so some of the incoming power from the antenna is reflected and does not reach the receiver, because the signal can be amplified to make up for it. However in high frequency receivers the receiver's SNR is dominated by noise in the receiver's [[RF front end|front end]], so it is important that the receiving antenna is impedance-matched to the receiver to give maximum signal amplitude in the front end stages, to overcome noise. |
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Various alternate names are used for this device; [[English language]] [[technical jargon]] makes no distinction between the terms:<ref> |
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{{cite web |
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|editor-first=Bruce |editor-last=Carter |
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|first=Roy A. |last=Walton |
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|year=2003 |
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|orig-date=March 1968 |
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|title=''Tune your antenna for better DX'' |
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|website=Hardcore DX (hard-core-dx.com) |
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|at= Editor's notes (end) |
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|edition=mag. reprint |
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|url=http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/lab/coupler.html |
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|access-date=2015-02-07 |url-status=live |
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030425110040/https://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/lab/coupler.html |
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|archive-date=2003-04-25 |df=dmy-all |
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}} |
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: Bruce Carter states in the 'Editor's notes' at the end of the revised article that |
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:: "The names ''<nowiki/>'antenna tuner'<nowiki/>'', ''<nowiki/>'antenna tuning unit'<nowiki/>'', or ''<nowiki/>'ATU'<nowiki/>'' have replaced the name ''<nowiki/>'antenna coupler'<nowiki/>'' used in this article." |
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: His statement is an editorial remark, not contained in the original 1968 article: |
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{{cite magazine |
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|first=Roy A. |last=Walton |
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|date=March 1968 |
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|title=Tune your antenna for better DX |
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|magazine=[[Popular Electronics]] |
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|pages=53–55 |
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}} |
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<!-- The following comment was appended to the (now erased) "citation needed" template --- |
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None of the names are deprecated, nor is any one endorsed or preferred by [insert authorities here, like ARRL, & RSGB, and other English-language organziations]. --> |
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</ref>{{efn| |
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name=Naming_quibbles_note| |
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Although the various terms listed above are typically used interchangeably, the terms '''matching network''' and '''transmatch''' are clearly the most accurate description of purpose and function. Some of the names, like "antenna tuner" are misleading even though conventional. Textbooks always carefully point out that the "antenna tuner" does not actually tune the antenna, and the use of that name is contested by some. |
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}} |
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{{div col begin|colwidth=15em}} |
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: antenna '''coupler''', |
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: antenna '''match''', |
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: antenna '''matching unit''', |
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: antenna '''tuning unit''' (ATU), |
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: antenna '''tuner''', |
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: feedline '''coupler''', |
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: feedline '''matching unit''', |
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: [[Impedance matching|impedance '''matching unit''']], |
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: '''matchbox''', |
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: [[matching network|matching '''network''']], |
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: '''transmatch''', |
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: transmission line '''matching unit''', |
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{{div col end}} |
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In all cases, the word "antenna" can be replaced by "feedline"; likewise, the words "couple", "match", and "tune" each can replace the others without changing the meaning. |
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The most efficient place to put a '''[[matching network]]''' is as close to the antenna as feasible. In one regard tuner location is very flexible: A '''tuner''' can [[impedance matching|match]] up the radio and the antenna from any spot along the [[feedline]] between them, but its placement is complicated by the consequences that the chosen spot has for lost transmit power. Putting just one line tuner near the transmitter and far from the antenna leads to worse power-loss, if the feedline in use is low-impedance [[coaxial cable]] that's currently standard; flexible '''tuner''' placement is practical only when the '''matchbox''' and the antenna are connected by [[twin lead#Ladder_line|high impedance feedline]] that is no longer popular. |
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'''Antenna tuners''' are particularly important for use with transmitters. Transmitters are typically designed to feed power into a [[reactance (electronics)|reactance]]-free, resistive [[load pull|load]] of a specific value: Essentially all radio transmitters built after the 1950s are designed for 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω (Ohm)]] output.<ref name=MW101_Load_pull/>{{efn|name=No_benefit_50_ohms_note}} However the impedance of any antenna normally varies, depending on the frequency and other factors,{{efn|name=variable_impedance_note}} and consequently alters the signal impedance seen at the opposite end of the feedline, where it connects to the transmitter. In addition to reducing the power radiated by the antenna, an impedance mismatch can distort the signal, and in high power transmitters may overheat either the amplifier, or the cores of transformers along the line, or both.{{efn|name=output_amp_bears_brunt}} |
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To avoid possible damage resulting from applying power into a mismatched load, and to prevent self-protection circuits in the amplifier from cutting back the power output, matching networks are a standard part of almost all radio transmitting systems.{{efn|name=cell_walkie_ATU}} The system '''transmatch''' may be a [[electric circuit|circuit]] incorporated into the transmitter itself, a separate piece of equipment connected to the feed line anywhere between the transmitter and the antenna, or a combination of several of these. In transmitting systems with an antenna distant from the transmitter and connected to it by a [[transmission line]] ([[feedline]]), in addition to a '''line matching unit''' where the feedline connects to the transmitter, there may be a second '''[[matching network]]''' (''transmatch'' / ATU / ''tuning unit'') to bridge the transmission line's [[characteristic impedance]] over to the antenna's feedpoint impedance. That impedance match can either be accomplished by a separate tuning unit mounted near the antenna, or by a relatively short section of a different cable spliced into the main feedline or a dead-end line section branching off from the main feedline, or as an set of otherwise extreneous metal segments integrated into the antenna feedpoint itself. |
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== Overview == |
== Overview == |
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An antenna's [[Impedance matching|impedance]] is different at different frequencies. An antenna tuner matches a radio with a fixed impedance (typically 50 [[Ohm]]s for modern transceivers) to the ''combination'' of the feedline and the [[antenna (radio)|antenna]]; useful when the impedance seen at the input end of the feedline is unknown, [[Complex impedance|complex]], or otherwise different from the transceiver. Coupling through an ATU allows the use of one antenna on a broad range of frequencies. However, despite its name, an antenna '''tuner'' ' actually matches the transmitter only to the complex impedance reflected back to the input end of the feedline. If both tuner and transmission line were lossless, tuning at the transmitter end would indeed produce a match at every point in the transmitter-feedline-antenna system.<ref>[http://www.ittc.ku.edu/~jstiles/723/handouts/section_5_1_Matching_with_Lumped_Elements_package.pdf Stiles, J. Matching with Lumped Elements]</ref> However, in practical systems feedline losses limit the ability of the antenna 'tuner' to match the antenna or change its [[Electrical resonance|resonant frequency]]. |
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'''Antenna tuners''' are particularly important for use with transmitters. Transmitters are designed to feed power into a [[electrical reactance|reactance]]-free, resistive [[load pull|load]] of a specific value: By modern convention 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω (Ohms)]].<ref name=MW101_Load_pull> |
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{{cite web |
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|title=Load-pull for power devices |
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|website=microwaves101.com |
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|url=https://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/load-pull-for-power-devices |
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}} |
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</ref>{{efn| |
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name=No_benefit_50_ohms_note| |
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{{main|Nominal impedance#50 Ω and 75 Ω}} |
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Since the early 1960s, perhaps earlier, almost all available coaxial cable suitable for transmition power-levels is either 48~52 Ω or 70~75 Ω [[characteristic impedance|impedance]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} (Television cabling adopted 75 Ω cable, which is sometimes used by radio amateurs.) Since then, radios have been designed to be compatible with the available 50 Ω cable, and at present it is essentially universal / used world-wide. |
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The only benefit of designing equipment with 50 [[ohm (unit)|Ω]] connection impedances is standardization for radios, feedlines, and antennas; it is merely convenient – not ideal – and like many standards, is only used for historical reasons. |
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: |
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In the 1940s after [[World War II|WW II]], surplus 50 Ω military cable became available at low cost, and amateur radio operators started using it. Coaxial cable is much less "fussy" about where it is placed than unshielded cable, and if driven with [[Antenna feed#balanced unbalanced anchor|balanced current]] will be unaffected by nearby metal fences, metal roofs or siding, or car chassis, and can be run through metal pipes or buried in soil. Despite its other clear advantages, [[#high_impedance_feed_anchor|discussed further later]], the previously common unshielded [[twin-lead|parallel wire]] feedline is vulnerable to its impedance being distorted if run too close to any such large conductor. |
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: |
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Because the originally used coaxial cabling happened to be made for 50 Ω – a good compromise for the military radar equipment it was made for – that impedance became a ''de facto'' standard for amateur radio equipment. There is usually no benefit to using 50 Ω impedance for amateur radio, and several drawbacks, discussed under the heading [[#high_impedance_feed_anchor|§ "High impedance feedline"]]. |
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}} |
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If the [[electrical impedance|impedance]] seen by the transmitter departs from this design value due to improper tuning of the combined feedline and antenna, overheating of the transmitter's final stage, distortion, or loss of output power may occur.{{efn| |
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name=output_amp_bears_brunt| |
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[[file:Space heater.jpg|thumb|80px|right|A [[infrared heater#quartz tubing anchor|quartz]] [[space heater]] that draws wattage roughly similar to a high-power amplifier]] |
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The output-stage amplifier is always the component that bears the brunt of any damage. That is the part of the radio where self-protection circuits are installed (if any) to drop the output power to safe levels when confronted with a threatening mismatch. |
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: |
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The final stage could be a high-power, stand-alone [[RF power amplifier]] fed by the transmitter (several hundred up to over a thousand [[watt (unit)|watts]]), or just the internal, moderate-power output stage built into the transmitter (often a hundred watts, rarely more, and sometimes as little as [[QRP operation|five watts or less]]). Conceivably the damage to the amplifier could be comparable to, if not quite as bad as, ''literally'' roasting the amplifier's circuitry in an electric oven that draws the same average number of watts, for the same amount of time as the mismatched transmission. Hence a 5 [[Watt|W]] transmitter (power comparable to a single old-fashioned incandescent Christmas-tree lightbulb) would probably only warm slightly and suffer no damage; but a widely mismatched {{nobr|{{gaps|1|500}} W}} amplifier run at full power could be a smoking disaster, suffering high temperatures on the order of the output of a large [[Infrared heater|electric room heater]]. |
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}} |
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If the loss of power is very low in the line carrying the transmitter's signal into the antenna, a tuner at the transmitter end can produce a worthwhile degree of matching and tuning for the antenna and feedline network as a whole.<ref name=W2DU_Reflections>Maxwell, W. M. W2DU (1990). ''Reflections: Transmission lines and antennas'', 1st ed. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. {{ISBN|0-87259-299-5}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.w5dxp.com/OWT1.htm |title=Moore, Cecil. (2014-01-09). Old XYL's tales in amateur radio. |access-date=2016-05-08 |archive-date=2019-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602112506/http://www.w5dxp.com/OWT1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> With lossy feedlines (such as commonly used 50 Ohm [[coaxial cable]]) maximum power transfer only occurs if matching is done at both ends of the line.<ref>[http://www.fars.k6ya.org Foothills Amateur Radio Society.]</ref> |
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=== Use with transmitters === |
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Antenna tuners are used almost universally with [[solid-state electronics|solid-state]] transmitters. Without a matching system, in addition to reducing the power radiated by the antenna, the reflected (or "backlash") current can cause signal distortion and overheat transformer cores. In high-power transmitters it may overheat the transmitter's output amplifier.{{efn|name=output_amp_bears_brunt}} When excessive reflected power is detected, self-protection circuits in modern transmitters automatically reduce power to safe levels, and hence reduce the power of the signal leaving the antenna ''even more'' than loss from some of the power being reflected away from the antenna ([[#power_loss_anchor|see below]]). |
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If there is still a high [[Standing wave ratio|SWR]] (multiple reflections) in the feedline beyond the ATU, any loss in the feedline is multiplied several times by the transmitted waves reflecting back and forth between the tuner and the antenna, heating the wire instead of sending out a signal. Even with a matching unit at both ends of the feedline – the near ATU matching the transmitter to the feedline and the remote ATU matching the feedline to the antenna – losses in the circuitry of the two ATUs will reduce power delivered to the antenna. Therefore, operating an antenna far from its design frequency and compensating with a transmatch between the transmitter and the feedline is not as efficient as using a [[Electrical resonance|resonant]] antenna with a [[Impedance matching|matched-impedance]] feedline, nor as efficient as a matched feedline from the transmitter to a remote antenna tuner attached directly to the antenna. |
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::'''{{math|Automatic power reduction}} {{math|by safety circuits}} {{math|typically causes}} {{big|''{{math|most}}''}} {{math|of the loss of signal power}}'''. |
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== {{anchor|Basic principle of wide-band designs}}Broad band matching methods== |
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Because of this, feedline matching is a standard part of almost all radio transmitting systems. The transmatch might be a [[electric circuit|circuit]] incorporated into the transmitter itself,{{efn| |
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[[Transformer]]s, [[autotransformer]]s, and [[balun]]s are sometimes incorporated into the design of narrow band antenna tuners and antenna cabling connections. They will all usually have little effect on the resonant frequency of either the antenna or the narrow band transmitter circuits, but can widen the range of impedances that the antenna tuner can match, and/or convert between balanced and unbalanced cabling where needed. |
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name=cell_walkie_ATU| |
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Transmitters with built-in antennas that only cover a single, narrow frequency band, such as [[cell phone]]s and [[walkie-talkie]]s, have an internal, non-user adjustable [[impedance matching]] [[matching network|network]], permanently set to tune the radio to its installed antenna. |
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}} |
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or a separate piece of equipment connected between the transmitter and the antenna. In transmitting systems with an antenna separated from the transmitter and connected to it by a long [[transmission line]] ([[feedline]]), there may be another [[matching network|transmatch]] (tuning unit) at the antenna that matches the transmission line's impedance to the antenna. |
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===Ferrite transformers=== |
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[[File:Boîte de couplage émetteur 500kHz.jpg|thumb|250px|Wall-mounted antenna coupler for [[500 kHz|500 kHz / 600 m]] transmitter in a French [[coastguard]] station.]] |
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Solid-state power amplifiers operating from 1–30 [[MHz]] typically use one or more wideband transformers wound on [[Ferrite (magnet)|ferrite]] cores. [[MOSFET]]s and [[bipolar junction transistor]]s are designed to operate into a low impedance, so the transformer primary typically has a single turn, while the 50 [[Ohm]] secondary will have 2 to 4 turns. This feedline system design has the advantage of reducing the retuning required when the operating frequency is changed. A similar design can match an antenna to a [[transmission line]]; For example, many [[TV antenna]]s have a 300 Ohm impedance and feed the signal to the TV via a 75 Ohm coaxial line. A small ferrite core transformer makes the broad band impedance transformation. This transformer does not need, nor is it capable of adjustment. For receive-only use in a TV the small [[Standing wave ratio|SWR]] variation with frequency is not a major problem. |
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Narrow-band transmitters like [[cell phone]]s and [[walkie-talkie]]s have a built-in matching circuit, permanently set to work with the installed antenna.{{efn|name=cell_walkie_ATU}} In multi-frequency communication stations like [[amateur radio]] stations, and for [[List of 50 kW AM radio stations in the United States|multi-kilowatt transmitters]] needed for [[clear-channel station|wide-area AM]] [[radio station|stations]], the matching unit is adjustable to accommodate changes in frequency, in the transmitting system, or to its environment.{{efn| |
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name=variable_impedance_note| |
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Any change in transmit frequency changes an antenna's feedpoint [[electrical impedance|impedance]], with changes at some frequencies causing wider or more abrupt impedance change than at others. |
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Also, both [[radio antenna|antennas]] and [[ladder line|open wire feedlines]] change impedance with the weather – especially if either is coated with dust, rust, water from ice or rain, salt from sea spume, or sits in humid air. |
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Any change in antenna impedance will likely be further complicated by side effects of radio engineering [[#wide_band_designs|contrivances]] built into the antenna or the feed system to smooth-over impedance changes at other frequencies. Those "contrivances" include some techniques for 'tuning' the antenna and feedline system, such as [[#stub_section_match_anchor|section matching or stub matching]] on the feedline ([[#stub_section_match_anchor|discussed later]]) or [[#L_network|incorporating capacitors or inductors]] (or extra antenna segments with equivalent effect) onto the feedline or into the antenna itself. |
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}} |
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Instruments such as [[SWR meter]]s, [[antenna analyzer]]s, or [[LCR meter#bridge circuit anchor|impedance bridges]] are used to measure the degree of match or mismatch. Testing is needed to ensure the transmitter is correctly matched to the impedance that appears on its end of the feedline after any change that might perturb the system. |
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It should be added that many ferrite based transformers perform a balanced to unbalanced transformation along with the impedance change. When the ''bal''anced to ''un''balanced function is present these transformers are called a '''[[balun]]''' (otherwise an '''unun'''). The most common [[balun]]s have either a 1:1 or a 1:4 ''impedance'' transformation. |
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High power transmitters like [[radio broadcasting]] [[radio station|stations]] have a matching unit that is adjustable, to accommodate changes in the transmit frequency, the transmitting unit, the antenna, or the antenna's environment.{{efn|name=variable_impedance_note}} Adjusting the impedance matching system to bridge over the transmitter to the feedline, and the feedline to the antenna, is an important procedure which is done after any work on the transmitter or antenna occurs, or any drastic change in the weather affecting the antenna, such as [[frost#hoarfrost anchor|hoar frost]] or [[dust storm]]s. |
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===Autotransformers=== |
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The effect of this adjustment is typically measured using an instrument called an [[SWR meter]], which indicates the aggregate mismatch between the [[complex number|complex]] signal impedance at the point on the feedline where the [[SWR meter]] is inserted and a reference impedance (which ''should'' be the same as the transmitter: {{nobr|50 + {{mvar|j}} 0 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]]}}{{efn|name=No_benefit_50_ohms_note}}, that is, 50 Ω of [[electrical resistance|resistance]] and 0 Ω (zero) of [[electrical reactance|reactance]]). Other instruments, such as [[antenna analyzer]]s or [[LCR meter#bridge circuit anchor|impedance bridges]] provide more detailed information, most importantly the separate mismatches of the signal's [[electrical resistance|resistive]] and [[electrical reactance|reactive]] parts of the [[electrical impedance|impedance]] at the antenna feedpoint, and at the feedline end connected to the matching network. |
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There are several designs for impedance matching using an [[autotransformer]], which is a single-wire transformer with different connection points or ''taps'' spaced along the windings. They are distinguished mainly by their ''impedance'' transform ratio (1:1, 1:4, 1:9, etc., the square of the winding ratio), and whether the input and output sides share a common ground, or are matched from a cable that is grounded on one side ([[Unbalanced line|unbalanced]]) to an ungrounded (usually [[Balanced line|balanced]]) cable. When autotransformers connect ''bal''anced and ''un''balanced lines they are called '''[[balun]]'''s, just as two-winding transformers. When two differently-grounded cables or circuits must be connected but the grounds kept independent, a full, two-winding transformer with the desired ratio is used instead. |
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[[File:widebandatu.svg|300px|right|thumb|1:1, 1:4 and 1:9 [[autotransformer]]|alt=Schematic diagram of automatic transformer]] |
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=== What an "antenna" tuner ''actually'' tunes === |
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The circuit pictured at the right has three identical windings wrapped in the same direction around either an "air" core (for very high frequencies) or ferrite core (for middle, or low frequencies). <!-- It would be better for the reader to see a picture of an only 1:1 autotransformer, wired as a balun (center tap is ground). The picture used seems too elaborate to start at. --> The three equal windings shown are wired for a common ground shared by two unbalanced lines (so this design is called an '''unun'''), and can be used as 1:1, 1:4, or 1:9 impedance match, depending on the tap chosen. (The same windings could be connected differently to make a [[balun]] instead.) |
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Despite its name, an "antenna" tuner does not actually tune the antenna: Actual 'tuning' of an antenna involves adjusting its length, or attaching wire and tubing appendages to the structure that add either capacitance or inductance to the path of currents through the antenna, in order to eliminate [[electrical reactance|reactance]] at the antenna feedpoint for the 'tuned' frequency.{{efn| |
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All technical sources include eliminating the feedpoint [[electrical reactance|reactance]] as the essential part of "tuning" an antenna, but different books might or might not mention raising or lowering the [[electrical resistance|resistance]] of its feedpoint in the same part of the text as "antenna tuning"; however, in that case, adjusting feedpoint resistance is always mentioned elsewhere.<ref name=ARRL-AntBk-1988/><ref name=ARRL-antbk-2011/><ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014/><ref name=Johnson-Jasik-1984/><ref name=Cavell-etal-2018/><ref name=Stiles-2009/> |
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Even once reactance has been removed at the antenna feedpoint, if the remaining resistance at the feedpoint is not identical to the [[characteristic impedance]] of the feedline, the mismatch will raise out-of-phase voltage standing waves and current standing waves on the line. This is equivalent to the signal's impedance (voltage to current ratio and phase) oscillating along the length of line, and hence varying reactance wherever the phase does not happen to be zero, despite it having been eliminated at the feedpoint.<ref name=ARRL-AntBk-1988/><ref name=ARRL-antbk-2011/><ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014/> |
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}} |
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Instead, an "antenna tuning" unit matches the signal's ([[complex number|complex]]) combined [[electrical resistance and conductance|resistive]] and [[electrical reactance|reactive]] parts of its [[electrical impedance|impedance]] presented at the end of the feedline (sometimes very far from the antenna feedpoint, and hence ''further'' altered by the feedline the signal travels through) to the reactance-free, purely resistive ([[real number|real]]) impedance required at the transmitter's output connection; in the same step, it also raises or lowers the signal resistance to the level required by the [[transceiver]] (usually 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]], by arbitrary{{efn|name=No_benefit_50_ohms_note}} convention). |
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For example, if the right-hand side is connected to a resistive load of 10 [[Ohm]]s, the user can attach a source at any of the three ungrounded terminals on the left side of the autotransformer to get a different impedance. Notice that on the left side, the line with more windings measures greater impedance for the same 10 Ohm load on the right. |
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If both the tuner and the feedline were "ideal" – lossless, or resistance-free – then tuning at the transmitter end would indeed produce a perfect match at every point in the transmitter-feedline-antenna system.<ref name=Stiles-2009> |
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{{cite web |
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|last=Stiles |first=Jim |
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|date=Spring 2009 |
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|title=Matching with lumped elements |
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|department=EECS 723 – ''Microwave Engineering'' – course handouts |
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|website=[[University of Kansas]] |
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|series=Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science |
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|url=http://www.ittc.ku.edu/~jstiles/723/handouts/section_5_1_Matching_with_Lumped_Elements_package.pdf |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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However, for realistic feed systems, lossy feed lines limit the ability of the antenna tuner to remotely compensate for the signal frequency being different from the antenna's [[Electrical resonance|resonant frequency]].<ref name=Stearns-2011-10> |
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{{cite conference |
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|last=Stearns |first=Steve D. (K6OIK) |
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|date=14–16 October 2011 |
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|title=Conjugate match myths |
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|conference=ARRL Pacificon Antenna Seminar |
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|place=Santa Clara, CA |
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|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
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|pages=22, 28–29, 42–43 |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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=={{anchor|Basic principle of narrow-band designs}}Narrow band design== |
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The feedline power loss will be low if the line length between the transmitter and the antenna is only a small fraction of a wavelength long, or if it has very low [[direct current|DC]] resistance per meter of length, or if it is built to carry power primarily as high voltage and low current (high impedance: at least 300 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] {{nobr|{{math|{{=}}}} {{sfrac| 300 [[volt]]s pushing through every | 1 [[ampere]] of current flow }} }}). When feedline power loss is very low, a tuner at the transmitter end of the line can indeed produce a worthwhile degree of (imperfect) matching and tuning throughout the whole antenna and feedline network.{{refn|name=W2DU_Reflections| |
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The "narrow-band" methods described below cover a very much smaller span of frequencies, by comparison with the broadband methods described above. |
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{{cite book |
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|author=Maxwell, Walter M. |
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|year=1990 |
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|title=Reflections: Transmission lines and antennas |edition=1st |
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|location=Newington, CT |
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|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
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|isbn=0-87259-299-5 |
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}} |
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: Deliberately removed from print by [[American Radio Relay League|ARRL]]. Now deprecated as based on unrealistic assumptions. See Stearns' (2011)<ref name=Stearns-2011-10/> refutations. |
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}}<ref name=Moore-2014> |
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{{cite web |
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|author=Moore, Cecil |
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|date=2014-01-09 |
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|title=Old XYL's tales in amateur radio |
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|url=http://www.w5dxp.com/OWT1.htm |
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|website=W5DXP |
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|access-date=8 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602112506/http://www.w5dxp.com/OWT1.htm |
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|archive-date=2 June 2019 |df=dmy-all |
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}} |
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</ref> However that is not the case when a lossy and low-impedance feedline is used – like common 50 or 75 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] [[coaxial cable]] (low impedance: low voltage and high current).<ref name=Stearns-2011-10/> For low-impedance line, maximum power transfer occurs only if matching is done at the antenna, in conjunction with a matched transmitter and feedline, producing a match at both ends of the line and every point in between. |
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Antenna matching methods that use transformers tend to cover a wide range of frequencies. A single, typical, commercially available balun can cover frequencies from 3.5–30.0 [[MHz]], or nearly the entire [[shortwave]] radio band. Matching to an antenna using a cut segment of transmission line (described below) is perhaps the most efficient of all matching schemes in terms of electrical power, but typically can only cover a range about 3.5–3.7 [[MHz]] wide – a very small range indeed, compared to a broadband balun. Antenna coupling or feedline matching circuits are also narrowband for any single setting, but can be re-tuned more conveniently. However they are perhaps the least efficient in terms of power-loss (aside from having no impedance matching at all!). |
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In any case, regardless of where they may be placed or how many there are, one or several matching units do not alter the gain, efficiency, or directivity of any one antenna, nor can they change the internal complex impedances within the parts of that antenna itself, nor the impedance presented at the antenna's feedpoint. |
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=== |
===Transmission line antenna tuning methods=== |
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[[File:Kenwood AT-230 antenna-tuner-inside.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=Gray cabinet front panel with knobs, meter and switches|Antenna tuner front view, with partially exposed interior]] |
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Matching units are not widely used with [[shortwave]] receivers, and almost never used with [[mediumwave]] or [[longwave]] receivers. They are, however, helpful for receivers operating in the upper [[shortwave]] (upper [[high frequency|HF]]), and are needed for [[very high frequency|VHF]] and higher. |
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The insertion of a special section of transmission line, whose characteristic impedance differs from that of the main line, can be used to match the main line to the antenna. An inserted line with the proper impedance and connected at the proper location can perform complicated matching effects with very high efficiency, but spans a very limited frequency range.<ref>Silver, H. Ward [Ed] (2011). ''ARRL Antenna Book'', p. 22–24. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. {{ISBN|978-0-87259-694-8}}</ref> |
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The simplest example this method is the [[quarter-wave impedance transformer]] formed by a section of mismatched transmission line. If a quarter-wavelength of 75 Ohm coaxial cable is linked to a 50 Ohm load, the [[standing wave ratio|SWR]] in the 75 Ohm quarter wavelength of line can be calculated as 75Ω / 50Ω = 1.5; the quarter-wavelength of line transforms the mismatched impedance to 112.5 Ohms (75 Ohms × 1.5 = 112.5 Ohms). Thus this inserted section matches a 112 Ohm antenna to a 50 Ohm main line. |
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At the antenna, if the end of the transmission line connected to the antenna is not a conjugate match to the antenna's feedpoint impedance, a part of any intercepted signal will be trapped inside the antenna, eventually to be radiated back out. Similarly, at the receiver, if the [[complex number|complex]] signal impedance at the receiver end of the transmission line is not a match to the receiver's reactance-free, 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] input connection, then some of the incoming signal will be reflected back to the antenna and not enter the receiver. However, the loss of signal power is only important for frequencies at and above the middle [[High frequency|HF band]]. |
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The {{frac|1|6}} wavelength coaxial transformer is a useful way to match 50 to 75 Ohms using the same general method.<ref>[http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=19648.0 Cathey, T. (2009-05-09). How to match a 50 Ohm coax to 75 Ohm coax, 35 Ohm Yagis, etc. ''AM Forum''.]</ref> The theoretical basis is discussion by the inventor, and wider application of the method is found here: [http://cds.cern.ch/record/214383/files/p1.pdf Branham, P. (1959). ''A Convenient Transformer for matching Co-axial lines''. Geneva: CERN.]<ref>Branham, P. (1959). ''A Convenient Transformer for matching Co-axial lines''. Geneva: [[CERN]].[http://cds.cern.ch/record/214383/files/p1.pdf matching with {{frac|1|6}}-wave co-axial lines.]</ref> |
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[[File:Atmosphericnoise.PNG|thumb|upright=1.4|400px|Atmospheric noise as a function of frequency in the LF, MF, and HF radio spectrum according to CCIR 322. The vertical axis is in [[decibel]]s per [[Hertz (unit)|Hz]] above the [[thermal noise]] floor. The graph shows that as frequency rises above the middle [[High Frequency|HF]], both natural and human-made noise quiets precipitously.]] |
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In [[radio receiver]]s working below roughly 10~20 MHz, [[atmospheric noise|atmospheric radio noise]] dominates the [[signal-to-noise ratio]] (SNR) of the incoming radio signal, and the power of the [[atmospheric noise]] (radio jargon "[[Q code|QRN]]") and human-caused electrical interference ("[[Q code|QRM]]") that arrives with the signal is far greater than the insignificantly small contribution by inherent [[Johnson–Nyquist noise|thermal noise]] generated within the receiver's own circuitry. Therefore, the receiver can freely amplify the weak signal to compensate for any antenna system inefficiencies caused by impedance mismatches, without perceptibly increasing [[radio noise|noise]] in the output, since both the signal and the noise will be boosted by the same amplification factor. |
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A second common method is the use of a [[Stub (electronics)|stub]]: A shorted, or open section of line is connected in parallel with the main line. With coax this is done using a 'T'-connector. The length of the stub and its location can be chosen so as to produce a matched line below the stub, regardless of the complex impedance or [[Standing wave ratio|SWR]] of the antenna itself.<ref>[http://www.arcticpeak.com/antennapages/single_stub_match.html Storli, Martin. (2017-05-13). Single stub match calculator.]</ref> The [[J-pole antenna]] is an example of an antenna with a built-in stub match. |
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In contrast, at higher frequencies the ionosphere no longer traps radio waves inside the atmosphere, and bothersome noise radiates away into space, leaving the higher frequencies naturally noise-free.{{efn|The upper [[High frequency|HF]] and higher frequencies are naturally noise-free, but the quiet can be spoiled by nearby noise sources; for example: lightning storms a few tens of miles away, or badly-made rechargers for hand-carried electronics in one's own and neighboring houses.}} In the upper [[High frequency|HF]], [[VHF]], and higher frequencies, receivers encounter very little atmospheric noise, and the noise added by the receiver's own [[RF front end|front end]] amplifier dominates the [[signal-to-noise ratio|SNR]]: At frequencies above about 10~20 MHz the [[Johnson–Nyquist noise|internal circuit noise]] is the factor limiting sensitivity of the receiver for weak signals. |
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===Basic lumped circuit matching using the L network=== |
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So as the receive frequency climbs first from the upper [[high frequency|HF]] into the [[VHF]] and then to [[UHF]], impedance matching for the received signal goes from being "nice to have" to "need to have": With higher frequencies it becomes progressively important that at the antenna end of the [[transmission line]], the receiving antenna's complex output impedance be conjugately matched to the feedline's [[characteristic impedance]], and likewise the signal impedance at the receiver end of the transmission line be matched to the receiver input connection. Matching impedances at every step along the way transfers the maximum possible power from any weak signal arriving at the antenna into the [[RF front end|first amplifier]], to try to provide the [[RF front end|radio's "front end"]] with a signal significantly louder than the amplifier's own internally-generated noise. |
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[[File:Ldg-antenna-tuner-0a.jpg|thumb|300px|Automatic ATU for [[Amateur radio|amateur]] transceiver|alt=Inside of antenna tuner, viewed from above]] |
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The basic circuit required when lumped capacitances and inductors are used is shown below. This circuit is important in that many automatic antenna tuners use it, and also because more complex circuits can be analyzed as groups of L-networks. |
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[[File:basicnetworkatu.svg|300px|centre|thumb|Basic network|alt=Schematic diagram of basic matching network]] |
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For that reason, either impedance-matching circuits or impedance-matched antennas ''are'' incorporated in some receivers for the [[High frequency|upper HF band]], such as 'deluxe' [[citizens band radio|CB radio]] receivers, and for most VHF and higher frequency receivers, such as [[FM broadcast]] receivers, and scanners for [[airband|aircraft]] and [[police radio|public safety]] radio. |
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This is called an L network not because it contains an inductor, (in fact some L-networks consist of two capacitors), but because the two components are at right angles to each other, having the shape of a rotated and sometimes reversed English letter 'L'. The 'T' ("Tee") network and the [[Pi (letter)|<big>π</big> ("Pi")]] network also have a shape similar to the English and Greek letters they are named after. |
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== <span class="anchor" id="wide_band_designs"> Broad band matching methods </span>== |
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[[File:T200A2.jpg|thumb|left|A voltage balun made from an [[autotransformer]] wound on a [[ferrite (magnet)|ferrite]] toroid.]] |
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Strictly speaking, [[transformer]]s, [[autotransformer]]s, and [[balun]]s are not complete impedance matching units: Even though they do transform the magnitude of impedances, they are not themselves able to bridge mismatched phases, and so are unable to produce a full conjugate match. Nonetheless, transformers of these types are frequently incorporated into antenna feed systems to convert between balanced and unbalanced cabling,{{efn|name=Balanced_line_note}} or seamlessly join different cabling impedances, providing an impedance match in the special case of [[electrical reactance|reactance]]-free antenna feed systems. They are also sometimes used to augment the operation of the narrow band antenna tuner designs (discussed in following sections) since they can widen the range of impedances that an antenna tuner can match. |
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This basic network is able to act as an [[Electrical impedance|impedance]] transformer. If the output has an impedance consisting of resistance ''R''<sub>load</sub> and reactance ''j'' ''X''<sub>load</sub>, while the input is to be attached to a source which has an impedance of ''R''<sub>source</sub> resistance and ''j'' ''X''<sub>source</sub> reactance, then |
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Transformers and baluns are usually designed with coil windings that have the minimum [[inductance]] needed to function, to ensure that [[parasitic element (electrical networks)|any inadvertent reactance]] they contribute has only a small effect on the resonant frequency of either the antenna or narrow band transmitter circuits. This results in a trade-off, since at lower frequencies the coupling between the two sides of a transformer may not be strong enough, and at higher frequencies the [[parasitic element (electrical networks)|stray reactance]] may be too much to ignore. Although these high and low frequency problems constrain the useful bandwidth of the devices, they nevertheless are typically extremely broadbanded compared to any other method of impedance matching. |
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:<math>X_\text{L} = \sqrt{\Big(R_\text{source}+jX_\text{source}\Big)\Big((R_\text{source}+jX_\text{source})-(R_\text{load}+jX_\text{load})\Big)}</math> |
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=== Ferrite transformers === |
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Solid-state power amplifiers operating from 1–30 [[MHz]] typically use one or more wideband transformers wound on [[Ferrite (magnet)|ferrite]] cores. |
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[[MOSFET]]s and [[bipolar junction transistor]]s normally used in modern radio frequency amplifiers are designed to deliver power into a low impedance, so the typical transformer primary has a single turn, while the 50 Ω secondary will have 2 to 4 turns. This design of feedline system has the advantage of reducing the retuning required when the operating frequency is changed. |
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[[File:Tvbalun.jpg|thumb|right|A 300-to-75-ohm TV line [[balun]], showing a coaxial connector (balun inside) on the left with [[twin-lead]] trailing off to the right]] |
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A similar design can match an antenna to a [[transmission line]]: For example, many [[television antenna|TV antennas]] have a 300 Ω impedance but feed the signal to the TV through a 75 Ω coaxial line. A small ferrite core transformer makes the broad band impedance transformation. This transformer does not need, nor is it capable of adjustment. For receive-only use in a TV the small [[Standing wave ratio|SWR]] variation with frequency is not a significant problem. |
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[[Ferrite (magnet)|Ferrites]] are [[ceramic]]s that are insulators for electric current, but ''very'' effective conductors of magnetic fields. Unlike the mixed [[Aluminium oxides|aluminina]], [[silicate]], and [[calcitic]] [[clays]] used to make [[pottery]], ferrite ceramics are made from iron oxides ([[rust]]) and varying smaller proportions of manganese, nickel, zinc, or tin, and their oxides, "spiced" with trace amounts of various other metals. Different mixtures are blended for particular frequency ranges, normally one to several [[megahertz]] wide. Each mix becomes less effective at frequencies higher or lower than its intended range, and this in turn imposes further practical bandwidth limits on ferrite transformers. |
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Many ferrite transformers are configured to perform a [[balun|balanced-to-unbalanced transformation]] in addition to the impedance change. When the {{underline|bal}}anced to {{underline|un}}balanced function is present these transformers are called a {{underline|''[[balun]]''}} (otherwise an {{underline|''unun''}}). The most common [[balun]]s have either a 1:1 or a 1:4 ''impedance'' transformation.{{efn|name=winding_ratio_note}} |
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=== Autotransformers === |
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There are several designs for impedance matching using an [[autotransformer]], which is a simple, single-coil transformer with different connection points or ''taps'' spaced along the coil windings. They are distinguished mainly by their impedance transform ratio,{{efn|name=winding_ratio_note|Typical ''impedance'' transform ratios are 1:1, 1:4, 1:9, etc. The impedance ratio is the square of the winding ratio.}} and whether the input and output sides share a common ground, or are matched from a cable that is grounded on one side ([[unbalanced line|unbalanced]]) to an ungrounded (usually [[balanced line|balanced]]) cable.{{efn|name=Balanced_line_note}} When autotransformers connect ''bal''anced and ''un''balanced lines they are called ''[[balun]]''s, just as two-winding transformers are.{{efn| |
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When two differently-grounded cables or circuits must be connected but the grounds kept independent, a full, two-winding transformer with the desired ratio must be used, instead of a single-winding autotransformer. |
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}}{{efn|name=Balanced_line_note}} |
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[[File:widebandatu.svg|300px|right|thumb|1:1, 1:4 and 1:9 [[autotransformer]]|alt=Schematic diagram of autotransformer]] |
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The circuit pictured at the right has three identical windings wrapped in the same direction around either an "air" core (for very high frequencies) or ferrite core (for middle frequencies) or a powdered-iron core (for very low frequencies).<!-- The picture provided seems too elaborate as a starting point for a casual reader. It would be better for the reader to see a picture of an only 1:1 autotransformer, wired as a balun (center tap is ground). --> The three equal windings shown are wired for a common ground shared by two unbalanced lines (so this design is an ''unun''), and can be used as 1:1, 1:4, or 1:9 impedance match, depending on the tap chosen.<ref group=lower-alpha>The same windings could be connected differently to make a [[balun]] instead.</ref> |
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For example, if the right-hand side is connected to a resistive load of 10 Ω, the user can attach a source at any of the three ungrounded terminals on the left side of the autotransformer to get a different impedance. Notice that on the left side, the line with more windings between the line's tap-point and the ground tap measures greater impedance for the same 10 Ω load on the right. |
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== <span class="anchor" id="Basic principle of narrow-band designs">Narrow band vs. broad band matching methods</span>== |
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Antenna matching methods that use transformers, described above, tend to cover a wide range of frequencies. The "narrow band" tuned circuit methods described below all cover a very much smaller span of frequencies, by comparison. |
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For example, a single, very well-made, commercially available balun can cover frequencies from 3.5 to 29.7 [[MHz]] – a span over 26 MHz wide, or nearly the entire [[High frequency|HF band]]. In contrast, matching a feedline to an antenna using a cut segment of transmission line (as described below) is perhaps the most efficient of all matching techniques, in terms of electrical power, but typically can only cover a range of about 3.5~3.7 [[MHz]] wide in the HF band – a very small range indeed: The 26 MHz bandwidth of the example balun is a more than 7 times wider span of frequencies. |
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Antenna coupling or feedline matching networks also have narrow bandwidth for any single setting, but are built with variable components so they can be conveniently retuned – some modern transmatches can even automatically self-retune whenever the transmit frequency changes. A few amateur operators over-react to horror stories of wrongly adjusted transmatches, whose maladjustment causes high loss.<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/><ref name=Hallas-2010-Guide/> However – in terms of power-loss, even ignoring the loss exaggerations – general-purpose transmatch circuits (with a few exceptions) are possibly the least efficient conventional means of impedance matching (aside from having ''no'' impedance matching ''at all!'') mainly due to resistive loss in their inductance coils.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} |
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==<span class="anchor" id="stub_section_match_anchor"> Transmission line antenna tuning methods </span>== |
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There are two different ways to match-up different impedances using sections of feedline: Either the original feedline can have a deliberately mismatched section of line spliced into it (called ''section matching''), or a short [[Stub (electronics)|stub of line]] can branch off from the original line, with the stub's end either shorted or left unconnected (called ''[[Distributed-element filter#Stub band-pass filters|stub matching]]''). In both cases, the location of the section of extra line on the original feedline and its length require careful placement and adjustment, which is essentially certain to work for only one desired frequency. |
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=== Section matching === |
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A specially chosen length of transmission line spliced into the main feedline can be used to match the main line to the antenna, if the spliced section's characteristic impedance is different from that of the main feedline at either end. Basically, the technique is to fix a mismatch by creating a carefully contrived opposite mismatch: The mismatch already present at the splice-point is cancelled out by the mismatch created by the spliced-in segment. A line segment with the proper impedance and proper length, inserted at the proper distance from the antenna, can perform complicated matching effects with very high efficiency. The drawback is that matching with line segments only works for a very limited frequency range for which the segment's length and location are appropriate.<ref name=ARRL-antbk-2011><br/>{{cite book |editor-last=Silver |editor-first=H. Ward |display-editors=etal |year=2011 |title=ARRL Antenna Book |edition=22nd |location=Newington, CT |publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |isbn=978-0-87259-694-8}}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|page= 22⸗24}} |
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The {{nobr|{{small| {{sfrac|1| 6 }} }} wavelength}} coaxial transformer is a useful way to match 50 to 75 Ω using the same general method.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cathey, T. |date=2009-05-09 |df=dmy-all |title=How to match a 50 Ohm coax to 75 Ohm coax, 35 Ohm Yagis, etc. |department=AM Forum |website=AMfone |url=http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=19648.0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Branham, P. |year=1959 |title=A convenient transformer for matching co‑axial lines |website=[[CERN]] |location=Geneva, CH |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/214383/files/p1.pdf}} — discusses theoretical basis of matching with {{nobr|{{small| {{sfrac|1| 6 }}}}-wave}} co‑axial lines, and wider application of the method.</ref> |
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;Section matching example: A simple example of this method is the [[quarter-wave impedance transformer]] formed by a section of mismatched transmission line. If a quarter-wavelength of 75 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] coaxial cable is linked to a 50 Ω load, the [[standing wave ratio|SWR]] in the 75 Ω quarter wavelength of line can be calculated as {{nobr| {{sfrac|75 Ω| 50 Ω }} {{=}} 1.5 ,}} when there is no [[electrical reactance|reactance]]; the quarter-wavelength of line transforms the mismatched impedance to 112.5 Ω {{nobr| ( 75 Ω × 1.5 {{=}} 112.5 Ω ).}} Thus this inserted section matches a 112 Ω antenna to a 50 Ω main line. |
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=== Stub matching === |
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{{see also|Stub (electronics)|Distributed-element filter#Stub band-pass filters}} |
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A second common method is the use of a [[Stub (electronics)|stub]]: Either a [[short circuit|shorted]] or [[open-circuit voltage|open]] section of line is connected in parallel with the main feedline, forming a dead-end branch off the main line.{{efn| |
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When working with coax the stub section is attached using a 'T'-connector. |
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}} |
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A stub less than a quarter-wave long whose end is short-circuited subtracts [[susceptance]] from the line, functioning as an [[inductor]]; if its end is left [[Electrical circuit|open]] (unconnected) then the stub adds susceptance, functioning as a [[capacitor]].<ref name=Storli2017/>{{efn| |
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For lengths between a quarter and a half wave, the [[electrical reactance|reactive behavior]] of a stub-line is opposite.<ref name=Storli2017/> |
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: |
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To avoid high voltage at the end of an open stub, it is sometimes more convenient to use the shorted stub between a quarter and a half wave long to produce the desired capacitance. Conversely, since it is easier to trim an open stub between a quarter and a half wave for best match, a similarly long open stub may be chosen to produce the inductive effect in low-power situations. |
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: |
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The cable used for the stub can have any impedance; unlike section matching, above, there is no need for it to be different from the main line, and likewise no reason for it to be the same, either. The only real issue is how long the stub should be, given its impedance and the relative speed of radio waves passing through it; so, one might make the stub shorter using higher impedance, "slower" cable, or easier to precisely tune using low impedance "fast" cable for the stub, since if its [[characteristic impedance]] is lower the stub must be longer for the same match, and in that case, the sizes of the lengths snipped off it for tuning will be less critical. |
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: |
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In general, the change in a stub's [[Electrical reactance|reactance]] with changing frequency is somewhat different from the corresponding lumped component – [[inductor]]s and [[capacitor]]s – especially when it is used at frequencies where its length is near to a [[integer|whole-number multiple]] of a quarter-wave. |
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}} |
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The stub is placed at one of the points along the main line where, at the desired frequency, the signal [[Electrical impedance|impedance]]'s oscillating resistive part coincidentally matches the [[characteristic impedance]] of the feedline. The length of the stub is chosen so that at that frequency, its [[susceptance]] is equal-and-opposite to the unwanted signal susceptance at the connection point. The combined effect of a proper location and correct length removes the susceptance from the signal (and hence removes the [[Electrical reactance|reactance]] that corresponds to the susceptance) and leaves the remaining resistive part of the signal matched to the [[characteristic impedance|feedline impedance]] beyond the connection point, eliminating any [[standing wave ratio|SWR]] from that point onward.<ref name=Storli2017>{{cite web |last=Storli |first=Martin |date=2017-05-13 |df=dmy-all |title=Single stub match calculator |website=Arctic Peak |url=http://www.arcticpeak.com/antennapages/single_stub_match.html}}</ref> |
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By way of example, both the [[J-pole antenna]] and the related [[Zepp antenna]] are antenna designs with a stub match built-in at the antenna feedpoint. |
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More elaborate stub matching methods involve using two stubs, either in series or in parallel, to create an [[LC circuit#LC parallel anchor|L‑C tuning circuit]], some of which are electrically equivalent to 'L' networks, described in the following sub-sections. |
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== Basic two-element 'L'-network <span class="anchor" id="L_network"></span> == |
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[[File:basicnetworkatu.svg|300px|thumb|Basic network (indicated below by the {{math|┬─}} shape) |alt=Schematic diagram of basic matching network]] |
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The most basic form of lumped circuit matching is with the 'L'-network: It is the simplest circuit that will achieve the desired transformation, and always consists of exactly two [[electrical reactance|reactive]] components. |
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The 'L' circuit is important not only in that many automatic antenna tuners use it, but also because more complicated circuits can be analyzed as chains of 'L'-networks, as will be shown in later sections, in the descriptions of matching networks with three or more reactive elements. |
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For any one given load and frequency, one must use a circuit from one of the eight possible configurations [[#L-network-diagrams|shown below]]. |
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[[File:Ldg-antenna-tuner-0a.jpg|thumb|300px|An automatic ATU for [[Amateur radio|amateur]] transceiver. The columns of white components are relays that switch toroidal coils (red, right-most column) and wafer capacitors (black, central column) into and out of the matching circuit. The large black square at the lower left is the CPU that operates the circuitry. |alt=Inside of an automatic antenna tuner, viewed from above]] |
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Commercially available automatic antenna tuners most often are 'L'-networks, since they involve the fewest parts, and have a single unique match setting, so just one target for the automatic self-adjustment circuitry to seek. |
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{{further|Electronic filter topology#Ladder topologies}} |
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[[File:Image impedance of cascaded L half-sections.svg|thumb|170px|left|The schematic shows how a 'T' network is made from two cascaded 'L' networks.]] |
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[[File:Image impedance of cascaded L half-sections (Pi).svg|thumb|170px|left|The schematic shows how a '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network is made from two cascaded 'L' networks.]] |
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This circuit is [[Ladder topology|called an "ell" network]], not because it contains an inductor (customary symbol <math>\ \mathcal L\ </math>) (in fact some 'L'-networks consist of two capacitors), but instead because of the shape: In the schematic, the two components are at right angles to each other, in the shape of a Latin letter 'L' either rotated ({{math|┬─}}) or flipped and rotated ({{math|─┬}}). The basic circuit required when pairs of lumped capacitors and / or inductors are used is shown in the [[#L-network-diagrams|chart of schematics below]]. |
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The 'T' ("tee") network and the [[Pi (letter)|'{{big|{{math|π}}}}' ("pie" / "pee")]] network also have their parts laid out in a shape similar to the Latin and Greek letters they are named after: The 'T' network is electrically equivalent to two back-to-back 'L' networks, since {{nobr|{{math|─┬ ┬─ ≅ ─┬┬─ ≅ ─┬─ ≅ }} 'T' ;}} the '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network is equivalent to two nose-to-nose 'L' networks, e.g. {{nobr|{{math| ┬─ ─┬ ≅ ┬─┬ ≅ }} '{{big|π}}' .}} (See the individual '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' and 'T' network descriptions below for more detail.) |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Case example of 'L'-network math === |
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This basic network is able to act as an [[Electrical impedance|impedance]] transformer. If the output has an impedance consisting of resistive part {{mvar|R}}{{sub|load}} and reactive part {{mvar|X}}<sub>load</sub>, which add to make a single complex number <math>\ \left(\ j^2 \equiv -1\ \right).</math> The input is to be attached to a source which has an impedance of {{mvar|R}}<sub>source</sub> resistance and {{mvar|X}}{{sub|source}} reactance, then |
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:<math>j X_\mathsf{L} = \sqrt{\Big(R_\mathsf{source} + j X_\mathsf{source}\Big)\Big((R_\mathsf{source} + j X_\mathsf{source}) - (R_\mathsf{load} + j X_\mathsf{load})\Big)}</math> |
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and |
and |
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:<math> |
:<math>X_\text{C} = (R_\text{load}+jX_\text{load})\sqrt{\frac{(R_\text{source}+jX_\text{source})}{(R_\text{load}+jX_\text{load})-(R_\text{source}+jX_\text{source})}}</math>. |
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In this example circuit, |
In this example circuit, ''X''<sub>L</sub> and ''X''<sub>C</sub> can be swapped. All the ATU circuits below create this network, which exists between systems with different impedances. |
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For instance, if the source has a resistive impedance of 50 Ω and the load has a resistive impedance of 1000 Ω : |
For instance, if the source has a resistive impedance of 50 Ω and the load has a resistive impedance of 1000 Ω : |
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:<math> |
:<math>X_\text{L} = \sqrt{(50)(50-1000)} = \sqrt{(-47500)}= j\, 217.94\ \text{Ohms}</math> |
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:<math> X_\mathsf{L} = 217.94\,\mathsf{\Omega} </math> |
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:<math> |
:<math>X_\text{C} = 1000 \sqrt{\frac{50}{(1000-50)}} = 1000\,\times\,0.2294\ \text{Ohms} = 229.4\ \text{Ohms}</math> |
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If the frequency is 28 MHz, |
If the frequency is 28 MHz, |
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As, |
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get, <math> 2 \pi f X_\mathsf{C} = \frac{1}{C}</math> |
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:<math>X_\text{C} = \frac{1}{2\pi fC}</math> |
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then, <math>2\pi fX_\text{C} = \frac{1}{C}</math> |
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So, <math>\frac{1}{2\pi fX_\text{C}} = C = 24.78\ p \text{F}</math> |
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While as, <math>X_\text{L} = 2\pi fL\!</math> |
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then, <math> L = \frac{X_\text{L}}{2\pi f} = 1.239\ \mu \text{H}</math> |
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==== 'L'-network theory and practice <span class="anchor" id="How L-network works"></span> ==== |
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[[File:ATUhowitworks1.svg|300px|thumb|Two networks in a circuit; both have the same impedance|alt=Schematic diagrams of two matching networks with the same impedance]] |
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A parallel network, consisting of a resistive element {{nobr|({{gaps|1|000}} [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]])}} and a reactive element {{nobr|( −{{mvar|j}} 229.415 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] ),}} will have the same impedance and power factor as a series network consisting of resistive (50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]]) and reactive elements {{nobr|( −{{mvar|j}} 217.94 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] ).}} |
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{{clear}} |
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{{anchor|How it works}} |
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[[File:ATUhowitworks2.svg|300px|thumb|Three networks in a circuit, all with the same impedance|alt=Schematic diagrams of three matching networks, all with the same impedance]] |
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===Theory and practice=== |
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By adding another element in series (which has a reactive impedance of {{nobr| +{{mvar|j}} 217.94 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] ),}} the impedance is 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] (resistive). |
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A parallel network, consisting of a resistive element (1000 Ω) and a reactive element (−''j'' 229.415 Ω), will have the same impedance and power factor as a series network consisting of resistive (50 Ω) and reactive elements (−''j'' 217.94 Ω). |
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{{clear}} |
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[[File:ATUhowitworks1.svg|300px|centre|thumb|Two networks in a circuit; both have the same impedance|alt=Schematic diagrams of two matching networks with the same impedance]] |
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=== Types of 'L' networks and their uses === |
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{{Multiple image |
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|title = <span class="anchor" id="L-network-diagrams">Schematics for all eight 'L'-network configurations</span> |
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|align = right |
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|direction = horizontal |
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|caption_align = center |
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|total_width = 350 |
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| image1 = L-network schematics for all eight configurations, 4-A.png |
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| caption1 = 'L' network schematics |
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| alt1 = |
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| image2 = L-network Smith charts for all eight configurations, 4-B.png |
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| caption2 = Corresponding [[Smith chart]]s |
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| alt2 = |
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|footer_align = left |
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|footer = All 8 possible 'L' networks and their uses. The value for shunt or parallel antenna resistance ({{mvar|R}}) and inductive ({{mvar|L}}) or capacitive ({{mvar|C}}) reactance{{efn|name=Smith_chart_distortion_note}} refer to the antenna or the end of its feedline (the "load") connected at the right. The radio to match (the "source") connected at the left, presumed 50 Ohms{{efn|name=50-Ohm-Smith-chart}} reactance-free. The odd numbered networks in the far left column are called "step down" networks, because they lower the apparent antenna resistance seen at the radio connection. The even numbered networks in the center column are "step up" because they raise the apparent antenna resistance seen at the radio. |
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}} |
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By adding another element in series (which has a reactive impedance of +''j'' 217.94 Ω), the impedance is 50 Ω (resistive). |
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There are eight different configurations of [[Electronic component#Passive components|components]] for an 'L' network, which are shown in the left and middle columns of [[#L-network-diagrams|the diagrams at the right]], marked with numbers 1–8 with corresponding colors. The right column is three versions of the same [[Smith chart]], showing antenna resistance ({{mvar|R}}) increasing toward the right on the horizontal axis, with the conventional 50 Ohms at the center point. Antenna reactance varies along vertical direction, with increasing inductive reactance ({{mvar|X}}{{sub|L }}, conventionally positive) going upward from the big circle's center-line, and capacitive reactance ({{mvar|X}}{{sub|C }}, conventionally negative) increasing going downward. The horizontal line cutting through the middle of the large circle is reactance-free.{{efn| |
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name=Smith_chart_distortion_note| |
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Note that [[Smith chart]] vertical scales are all intersections of asymmetric arcs, with highly distorted, [[Proportionality (mathematics)|non-linear]] measure. |
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}} |
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[[File:ATUhowitworks2.svg|300px|centre|thumb|Three networks in a circuit, all with the same impedance|alt=Schematic diagrams of three matching networks, all with the same impedance]] |
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==== Which 'L' network to use ==== |
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If a load impedance is plotted on a [[Smith chart]], it will fall into one of the four regions shown: Upper half-[[labrys]] <math>\color{Orange} \boldsymbol{\overset{\frown} \curlyvee}</math> (rounded axe head), lower half-[[labrys]] <math>\color{Periwinkle} \boldsymbol{\underset{\smile} \curlywedge}</math>, left inner-circle {{font color|red|{{math|∘ ⃝}}}} and {{font color|Aqua|{{math|∘ ⃝}}}}, and right inner-circle {{font color|LightGreen|{{math| ◯⃘}}}} and {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|{{math|◯⃘}}}} }}{{backgroundcolor|white| .}}}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=P.H. |author-link=Phillip Hagar Smith |year=1969 |title=Electronic Applications of the Smith Chart |place=Tucker, GA |publisher=Nobel Publishing |isbn=1-884932-39-8 |page=121}}</ref> For a complex impedance falling anywhere in the chart, either two, or four different 'L' networks may be used, so the user may choose other criteria to decide which of the two or four networks to use. Impedances falling into either of the two inner circles, {{font color|red|{{math|∘ ⃝}}}} (and {{font color|Aqua|{{math|∘ ⃝}}}}) or {{font color|LightGreen|{{math| ◯⃘}}}} (and {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|{{math|◯⃘}}}} }}{{backgroundcolor|white| ),}} }} can be matched by two different 'L' networks (high pass and low pass), and each of the half-[[labrys]]es, <math>\color{Orange} \boldsymbol{\overset{\frown} \curlyvee}</math> and <math>\color{Periwinkle} \boldsymbol{\underset{\smile} \curlywedge}</math>, allows four. |
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===Types of L networks and their use=== |
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Each region is color coded as well as marked with corresponding numbers to indicate which networks can be used to match an impedance in that region. For example, an impedance that falls within the right inner circle (either {{color|LightGreen|green}}, {{color|LightGreen|{{math| ◯⃘}}}}, or {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|yellow}} }}{{backgroundcolor|white| ,}} }} {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|{{math|◯⃘}}}} }}{{backgroundcolor|white| ,}} }} labeled {{nobr|"R > 50"}}) can be matched using networks 1 or 3.{{efn|name=50-Ohm-Smith-chart|This chart was made with 50 Ohms at the center. For matching to other values of source {{mvar|R}} such as 75 Ohms, the value "75" should replace "50" everywhere in the Smith chart.}}{{efn|name=Smith_chart_distortion_note}} |
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The L-network can have eight different configurations, six of which are shown here. The two missing configurations are the same as the bottom row, but with the parallel element (wires vertical) on the right side of the series element (wires horizontal), instead of on the left, as shown. |
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In discussion of the diagrams that follows the '''in''' connector comes from the transmitter or "source"; the '''out''' connector goes to the antenna or "load". |
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==== "Step up" and "step down" configurations <span class="anchor" id="L_netw_step_up_step_down_anchor"></span> ==== |
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The general rule (with some exceptions, described below) is that the series element of an ''L''-network goes on the side with the lowest impedance.<ref>Silver, H.L. (Ed.) (2011). ''The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications'', 88th ed. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League.</ref> |
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The two columns of networks are called "step down" (left) and "step up" (middle). The sense of the metaphorical "step" is always from the antenna to the radio; in all the diagrams in this article, that direction is right to left: That is, {{nobr|  ''radio'' {{math| '''← ┬─ ←''' }} ''antenna''  }} or {{nobr|  ''radio'' {{math| '''← ─┬ ←''' }} ''antenna''.}}{{efn| |
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[[File:L network, six configurations.png|400px|right|six common L-network circuits]] |
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Although the shapes {{nobr|  {{math|'''┬─'''}}  }} and {{nobr|  {{math|'''─┬'''}}  }} do resemble stair-steps, the sense of the step "going up" and "going down" is opposite the direction of the impedance change. It seems like using the step shape would probably be more prone to cause confusion than to be helpful. |
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So for example, the three circuits in the left column and the two in the bottom row have the series (horizontal) element on the '''out''' side are generally used for '''step'''ping '''up''' from a low-impedance input (transmitter) to a high-impedance output (antenna), similar to the example analyzed in the section above. The top two circuits in the right column, with the series (horizontal) element on the '''in''' side, are generally useful for '''step'''ping '''down''' from a higher input to a lower output impedance. |
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}} |
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The general rule only applies to loads that are mainly [[Electrical resistance and conductance|resistive]], with very little [[Electrical reactance|reactance]]. In cases where the load is highly [[Electrical reactance|reactive]] – such as an antenna fed with a signals whose frequency is far away from any resonance – the opposite configuration may be required. If far from resonance, the bottom two '''step down''' (high-in to low-out) circuits would instead be used to connect for a step up (low-in to high-out that is mostly reactance).<ref>Smith, Philip H. (1969). ''Electronic applications of the Smith Chart'', p. 121. Tucker, GA: Nobel Publishing. {{ISBN|1-884932-39-8}}</ref> |
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; Low out {{nobr|  {{math| '''← ─┬ ←''' }}  }} high in : All the {{nobr|  '''{{math|─┬}}'''   shaped}} networks are in the left column, marked with odd numbers, are "step down" networks: The series resistance value coming in from the antenna on the right, is transformed to have a lower parallel resistive part going into the radio on the left. |
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; High out {{nobr|  {{math| '''← ┬─ ←''' }}  }} low in: All the {{nobr|  '''{{math|┬─}}'''  }} shaped networks in the middle column, marked with even numbers, are "step up": The parallel or "shunt" resistance, that comes in from the antenna-side connection on the right, is transformed up to a higher series resistance going out to the radio on the left. |
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The low- and high-pass versions of the four circuits shown in the top two rows use only one inductor and one capacitor. Normally, the low-pass would be preferred with a transmitter, in order to attenuate harmonics, but the high-pass configuration may be chosen if the components are more conveniently obtained, or if the radio already contains an internal low-pass filter, or if attenuation of low frequencies is desirable – for example when a local [[AM Broadcasting|AM station]] broadcasting on a [[medium frequency]] may be overloading a [[high frequency]] receiver. |
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Although in most electronics it is typically a mistake to compare a series resistance to a parallel resistance, in this special case it works out to be correct. |
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The '''Low ''R'', high ''C''''' circuit is shown feeding a short vertical antenna, such as would be the case for a compact, mobile antenna or otherwise on frequencies below an antenna's lowest natural [[Electrical resonance|resonant frequency]]. Here the inherent [[capacitance]] of a short, random wire antenna is so high that the L-network is best realized with two [[inductor]]s, instead of aggravating the problem by using a capacitor. |
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Because the radio has no reactance (and equivalently, no susceptance) its series and parallel resistances are the same. So for these rules about orienting an 'L' network, the radio side is always 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]], regardless of whether it is connected to the series or parallel side of the network. If the description above, or a rule below, calls for using a series or parallel resistance on the radio side, it is 50 Ω, whichever. However, on the ''antenna'' side, they are usually different: If the antenna's impedance has any [[electrical reactance|reactance]] in it (or equivalently, its [[admittance]] has any [[susceptance]] in it), then the parallel resistance will be ''higher'' than the series resistance; for choosing the orientation it matters that the correct resistance value on the antenna side is considered. (The parallel form of resistance is always a larger number than the series form. The formulas [[#shunt_parallel_convers_eqns|in the follow-on section]] may be used to convert between them.) |
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The '''Low ''R'', high ''L''''' circuit is shown feeding a small [[loop antenna]]. Below resonance this type of antenna has so much inductance, that more inductance from adding a coil would make the reactance even worse. Therefore, the L-network is composed of two capacitors. |
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Despite the fact that comparing parallel and series values is usually an error, compare the radio's 50 Ω to antenna's series or parallel resistance, to whichever way is ''opposite'' sense of the side of the 'L' network that is to be connected to the antenna. There are multiple different ways to remember how to work out which 'L' network orientation to use. Here are a few. Pick one of the rules, or find another elsewhere, that seems easiest to you for use: |
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An L-network is the simplest circuit that will achieve the desired transformation; for any one given antenna and frequency, once a circuit is selected from the eight possible configurations (of which six are shown above) only one set of component values will match the '''in''' impedance to the '''out''' impedance. In contrast, the circuits described below all have three or more components, and hence have many more choices for inductance and capacitance that will produce an impedance match. The radio operator must experiment, test, and use judgement to choose among the many adjustments that produce the same impedance match. |
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* The side that the "shunt" element ({{big|'''{{math|┬}}'''}}, the component that connects to the ground) attaches to has the higher ''parallel resistance'', compared to the ''series resistance'' of what's connected to the opposite site of the network. |
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* If the antenna's ''series resistance is higher'' than the radio's 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]], it should connect to the ''parallel element'' ({{nobr| {{grey|''radio''}} {{math|{{big|{{fontcolor|silver|─}}'''┬'''}} '''ant'''.}} ,}} the vertical leg, sticking down towards ground); if the antenna's ''parallel resistance is lower'' than the radio's 50 Ω, it should connect to the ''series'' element ({{nobr|'''radio''' {{math|{{big|'''┬'''{{fontcolor|silver|─}} }} }} {{grey|''ant''.}}, }} the pointy, horizontal side, with no ground connection). |
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* For orienting the network, the resistance compared on the side with the ''series element'' is always the ''parallel resistance'' – the opposite of the network's series element it is connecting to. The resistance compared on the side with the network's ''parallel element'' is the ''series resistance'' – similarly the opposite type. |
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* In both cases, the ''parallel'' (or ''"shunt"'') element (the vertical element, called the "back side" in tuner circuit descriptions, below) is on the side with the higher ''series'' resistance. The ''series'' element (the horizontal, or "pointy noze" end) connects to a ''parallel'' resistance whose number value is higher than the series resistance on the opposite side. |
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* If one thinks of the 'L' shape as looking like a finger {{nobr|({{math| ☜ {{big|{{fontcolor|silver|─}}'''┬'''}} }} }} and {{nobr| {{math| ☞ {{big|'''┬'''{{fontcolor|silver|─}}}} }}),}} then the finger points "down", from ''high'' series to ''low'' parallel resistance ("scolding" the too-low resistance): From ''series to parallel'' resistance and from ''high to low'' value. (Repeat: The network "points" towards the ''parallel'' resistance whose value is the ''lower'' number, compared to the side it points away from, which has a ''series'' resistance whose value is the ''higher'' number.) |
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* The fist of the hand is bigger than the finger: The "fist" side connects to the higher ''series'' resistance; the "finger" side connects to the smaller ''parallel'' resistance. |
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==Antenna system losses== |
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{{clear}} |
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===Loss in Antenna tuners=== |
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Every means of impedance match will introduce some power loss. This will vary from a few percent for a transformer with a ferrite core, to 50% or more for a complex ATU that is improperly tuned or working at the limits of its tuning range.<ref>Hallas, Joel R. (2010). ''The ARRL Guide to Antenna Tuners'', pg. 4-3. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. {{ISBN|978-0-87259-098-4}}.</ref> |
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With the narrow band tuners, the L-network has the lowest loss, partly because it has the fewest components, but mainly because it necessarily operates at the lowest <math>Q</math> possible for a given impedance transformation. With the L-network, the loaded <math>Q</math> is not adjustable, but is fixed midway between the source and load impedances. Since most of the loss in practical tuners will be in the coil, choosing either the low-pass or high-pass network may reduce the loss somewhat. |
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==== Measuring instrument limitations ==== |
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{{main|Source transformation|Norton equivalent|Thévenin equivalent}} |
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Commonly used [[SWR meter]]s do not indicate complex impedance, so they are not very helpful for determining which of the 'L' networks can be used for the needed match. [[Antenna analyzer]]s, however, can separately show the resistive and reactive parts of the antenna impedance, and are suitable for selecting the orientation of an 'L' network. The most convenient of these analyzers are able to switch back and forth between series and parallel representation, and are also able to plot the antenna's complex impedance on a Smith chart display, which can then be compared to the [[#L-network-diagrams|network schematics and corresponding Smith charts]] shown above. |
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The L-network using only capacitors will have the lowest loss, but this network only works where the load impedance is very inductive, making it a good choice for a [[Loop antenna#small_loop_ants|small loop antenna]]. Inductive impedance also occurs with straight-wire antennas used at frequencies slightly above a [[resonant frequency]], where the antenna is too long – for example, between a quarter and a half wave long at the operating frequency. However, problematic straight-wire antennas are typically too short for the frequency in use. |
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If an instrument <span class="anchor" id="shunt_parallel_convers_eqns"></span> indicates the complex series impedance, but not the shunt (parallel) equivalent, then a programmed hand calculator or spreadsheet, or an online calculator<ref> |
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{{cite web |
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|title=Calculate serial-parallel {{mvar|Z}} |
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|website=W6ZE |
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|url=https://www.w6ze.org/Calculators/Calc_SerParZ.html |
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}} |
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</ref> or the formulas<ref> |
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{{cite web |
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|author=Scher, Aaron |
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|title=Series-parallel |series=Circuit a day |
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|website=Aaron Scher |
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|url=http://aaronscher.com/Circuit_a_Day/Impedance_matching/series_parallel/series_parallel.html |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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shown below can be used to make the conversion to the parallel values.{{efn| |
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When no information is available about the reactive and resistive parts of the impedance to be matched, a network can be chosen by arbitrarilly ''guessing'' that a high impedance might be matched using network 1 (which is effective for high shunt or parallel resistance) and a low impedance using network 2 (which is effective for low series resistance), but those selections assume that the cause of the impedance mismatch that causes a high [[standing wave ratio|SWR]] is mainly due to resistance being too high or too low, rather than too much reactance (either positive or negative). |
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: |
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When the [[standing wave ratio|SWR]] is high because of a large reactive part, such as with a [[whip antenna]] that is too short (and [[Electrical length#loading coil|unloaded]]), the simplified guess will fail roughly half the time – the same as random chance – with "fail" meaning that no amount of adjustment of the components in the guessed network will produce an impedance match; and when the unreliable guess happens to accidentally choose a network that ''can'' be tuned, the guesser will be fooled into believing the faulty rule is effective. |
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}} |
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The formulas for calculating the series or parallel (shunt) impedance in the mandatory case that neither of the resistances ({{mvar|R}}) is zero, the usual case when neither of the reactances ({{mvar|X}}) is zero are as follows: |
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:<math> |
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Q_\mathsf{s} \equiv \frac{\ X_\mathsf{series} \ }{ R_\mathsf{series} } = \frac{ R_\mathsf{parallel} }{\ X_\mathsf{parallel} \ } \ ; |
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</math> |
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: |
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:<math> |
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R_\mathsf{parallel} = R_\mathsf{series} \cdot \left(\ 1 + Q^2_\mathsf{s}\ \right)\ , \qquad~~~\; |
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R_\mathsf{series} = \frac{ R_\mathsf{parallel} }{\ \left(\ 1 + Q^2_\mathsf{s}\ \right) \ }\ ; |
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</math> |
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: |
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:<math> |
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X_\mathsf{parallel} = X_\mathsf{series} \cdot \frac{ \left( \ 1 + Q^2_\mathsf{s}\ \right)\ }{ Q^2_\mathsf{s} }, \qquad |
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X_\mathsf{series} = X_\mathsf{parallel} \cdot \frac{ Q^2_\mathsf{s} }{\ \left( \ 1 + Q^2_\mathsf{s} \ \right) \ } ~. |
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</math> |
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With the high-pass T-network, the loss in the tuner can vary from a few percent – if tuned for lowest loss – to over 50% if the tuner is not properly adjusted. Using the maximum available capacitance will give less loss, than if one simply tunes for a match without regard for the settings.<ref>Silver, H.W. (2014). ''The ARRL Handbook'', 2015 Ed., pg. 20-16. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. {{ISBN|978-1-62595-019-2}}.</ref> This is because using more capacitance means using fewer inductor turns, and the loss is mainly in the inductor. |
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If either <math>\ X_\mathsf{series}\ </math> or <math>\ X_\mathsf{parallel}\ </math> is not zero, then both are the same type of reactance: Either both capacitive or both inductive. If that is kept in mind, one can dispense with sign conventions for reactance.{{efn| |
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The standard sign convention for [[electrical reactance]] is to make capacitive reactances negative, and inductive reactances positive. In the case of capacitive reactance, the value of <math>\ Q_\mathsf{s}\ </math> should also be negative, but <math>\ Q_\mathsf{s}\ </math> is squared where-ever it is used in these particular formulas, so its nominal sign has no affect. |
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}} |
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With the SPC tuner the losses will be somewhat higher than with the T-network, since the added capacitance across the inductor will shunt some reactive current to ground which must be cancelled by additional current in the inductor.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/tuner.pdf |title=Kevin Schmidt, W9CF. ''Estimating T-network losses at 80 and 160 meters''. |access-date=2014-10-20 |archive-date=2021-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204133806/http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/tuner.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The trade-off is that the effective inductance of the coil is increased, thus allowing operation at lower frequencies than would otherwise be possible. |
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In the special case when the series reactance <math>\ X_\mathsf{series} = 0\ ,</math> then <math>\ Q_\mathsf{s} = 0 ~.</math> The middle row of the resistance formulas remains good: They show that the series and parallel resistances become the same. However, when <math>\ Q_\mathsf{s} = 0\ ,</math> the bottom row's left formula for the parallel reactance from the series reactance fails (becomes [[singularity (mathematics)|singular]] – divide by zero error). The answer can be resolved another way, by recognizing the trend as <math>\ Q_\mathsf{s} </math> gets smaller (closer to actually being zero): The parallel reactance becomes so large it blocks all current, as if it was not connected (nominally infinite impedance – the same as an [[Electrical circuit|open circuit]] / no connection); the series reactance formula still works, and the series reactance vanishes, leaving only the resistive part of the impedance. In effect, a zero impedance is the same as a simple conducting wire (zero impedance in the absence of any resistance – the same as a [[short circuit|short-circuit]] connection). |
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If additional filtering is desired, the inductor can be deliberately set to larger values, thus providing a partial band pass effect.<ref>Stanley, J. (2015-09). Technical Correspondence: Antenna Tuners as Preselectors. ''QST'', September 2015, pg. 61.</ref> Either the high-pass T, low-pass π, or the SPC tuner can be adjusted in this manner. The additional attenuation at harmonic frequencies can be increased significantly with only a small percentage of additional loss at the tuned frequency. |
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The unrealistic case where either resistance is zero is not even of academic interest: Any antenna that contributes zero resistance to a zero total has to be non-functional (see ''[[radiation resistance]]''). |
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When adjusted for minimum loss, the SPC tuner will have better harmonic rejection than the high-pass T due to its internal tank circuit. Either type is capable of good harmonic rejection if a small additional loss is acceptable. The low-pass π has exceptional harmonic attenuation at ''any'' setting, including the lowest-loss. |
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==== Additional selection criteria <span class="anchor" id="switchable_low_pass_anchor"></span> ==== |
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[[File:Switchable step-up - step-down low-pass ‘L’ transmatch network.png|250px|right|thumb|alt=Schematic diagram of the switchable low-pass L-network|Step-up / step-down switchable low-pass 'L' network can match any impedance.<ref name=Belrose-2004-10-QST/>{{efn|name=Only_if_reactances_adequate_note}} The central switch flips the transmatch between network {{font color|red|'''1''' {{math|┬─}} }} and network {{color|LightGreen|'''2''' {{math|─┬}} }} [[#L-network-diagrams|in the diagram above]].]] |
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Networks 1–4, shown in the top two rows, use one inductor and one capacitor; the pair with a series inductor {{nobr|( {{font color|red|'''1''' {{math|┬─}} }} }} and {{nobr|{{color|LightGreen|'''2''' {{math|─┬}} }}) }} are low-pass; the next two, with the capacitor in series {{nobr|( {{font color|Aqua|'''3''' {{math|┬─}} }} }} and {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|'''4''' {{math|─┬}} }} }}{{backgroundcolor|white| }}) }} are high pass. Cusomarilly, low-pass has been preferred with a transmitter, to attenuate possible harmonics above the match frequency. The high-pass configuration shown in the second row, {{nobr|( {{font color|Aqua|'''3'''}} }} and {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|'''4'''}} }} )}} may be chosen if the required component values are more convenient, or if the radio already contains a good, internal low-pass filter, or if attenuation of low frequencies is desirable.{{efn| |
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For example, [[clear-channel station|multi-kilowatt AM stations]] often overload [[shortwave]] receivers within a few of miles of their [[mast radiator|tower]], despite operating on a much lower frequency. In that case, attenuation of low frequencies would be an added benefit, and a high-pass network would be preferred for its side-effect of blocking [[medium frequency|medium frequencies]] if set to match on a [[shortwave]] frequency. |
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}} |
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{{anchor|Connecting an ATU}} |
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In some cases it may be desirable that the network either pass through DC currents used for power feed to devices on the antennas, such as relay switches, or to block DC used for those devices from reaching the transmitter. Thus, the series (horizontal) component should be either an inductor ({{mvar|L}}) to pass DC, or a capacitor ({{mvar|C}}) to block DC. In addition, it may be useful for the phase shift across the network to be either advanced or delayed ([[#phase_shift_anchor|see below]]). |
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===ATU location=== |
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<span class="anchor" id="switchable_high_pass_anchor"></span> |
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An ATU will be inserted somewhere along the line connecting the [[radio]] [[transmitter]] or [[receiver (radio)|receiver]] to the antenna.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/9508067.pdf |title=Dave Miller. (1995-08). "Back to Basics". ''QST'', August 1995 |access-date=2011-10-29 |archive-date=2013-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622234232/http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/9508067.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The antenna feedpoint is usually high in the air (for example, a [[dipole antenna]]) or far away (for example, an end-fed [[random wire antenna]]). A transmission line, or feedline, must carry the signal between the transmitter and the antenna. The ATU can be placed anywhere along the feedline: at the transmitter, at the antenna, or somewhere in between. |
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[[File:Switchable_high_pass_L_network.png|250px|right|thumb|alt=Schematic diagram of the switchable high-pass L-network|Step-up / step-down switchable high-pass 'L' network can can match any impedance.<ref name=Belrose-2004-10-QST/>{{efn| name=Only_if_reactances_adequate_note}} The central switch flips the transmatch between network {{font color|Aqua|'''3''' {{math|┬─}} }} and {{nobr|network {{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|'''4''' {{math|─┬}} }} }} }} [[#L-network-diagrams|in the diagram above]].]] |
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Automatic and manual 'L' networks often use either network {{font color|red|'''1'''}} or {{color|LightGreen|'''2'''}}.{{efn| |
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The choice of a series-inductor / shunt capacitor 'L' network makes automatic tuners usable in combination with other electrical parts on the antenna, such as relay switches, that require a piggyback DC power feed through the RF feedline. It also conforms to the old-fashioned expectation that transmatches will attenuate harmonics. |
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}} |
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Many commercial tuners include a simple [[Single pole, double throw|{{sc|SPDT}} switch]] that connects the vertical (shunt, {{mvar|C}}) component to either the left or right side of the horizontal (series, {{mvar|L}}) component, making both networks {{font color|red|'''1''' {{math|┬─}} }} and {{color|LightGreen|'''2''' {{math|─┬}} }} available with the same transmatch<ref name=Belrose-2004-10-QST/> (see [[#switchable_low_pass_anchor|schematic, upper right]]). As shown by the {{font color|LightGreen|'''green'''}} and {{font color|red|'''red'''}} sections of the top Smith chart, these two networks can together handle all possible loads.{{efn|name=Only_if_reactances_adequate_note}} Likewise, the {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|'''yellow'''}} }} }} and {{font color|Aqua|'''blue'''}} parts of the middle Smith chart show that one of either network {{font color|Aqua|'''3'''}} or {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|'''4'''}} }} }} ([[#switchable_high_pass_anchor|schematic, lower right]]) can match any load.{{efn| |
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name=Only_if_reactances_adequate_note|<br/> |
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Many matching networks can match any impedance ''in principle'', but note that any one transmatch as-built can only match impedances for which the ranges of inductance and capacitance of its installed parts are adequate.<ref name=TenTec-1998/> |
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}} |
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Antenna tuning is best done as close to the antenna as possible to minimize loss, increase bandwidth, and reduce voltage and current on the transmission line. Also, when the information being transmitted has frequency components whose wavelength is a significant fraction of the electrical length of the feed line, distortion of the transmitted information will occur if there are standing waves on the line. Analog TV and FM stereo broadcasts are affected in this way. For those modes, matching at the antenna is required. |
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; [[Loop antenna#Small transmitting loops|Small loop]] example: Loads such as a [[Loop antenna#Small transmitting loops|small transmitting loop]] may be highly inductive. The impedance will fall well into the region of the Smith chart dominated by inductive [[electrical reactance|reactance]] ({{font color|DarkOrange|'''orange'''}} shaded upper half-[[labrys]], <math>\color{Orange} \boldsymbol{\overset{\frown} \curlyvee}</math>, labelled "{{mvar|L}} dominant"). In addition to networks {{font color|red|'''1'''}} and {{nobr|{{background|silver| {{font color|Yellow|'''4'''}} }},}} they can use the low-loss all-capacitor networks {{font color|DarkOrange|'''5'''}} or {{font color|DarkOrange|'''6'''}}.{{efn| |
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Many recent small [[loop antenna|loop]] designs instead feed the main loop indirectly, connected through a feeder loop, about {{small| {{sfrac| 1 |5}} }} the main loop's size, nested inside the otherwise unconnected larger loop. The two magnetically coupled loops act as a {{math|25:1}} impedance transformer. If the main loop has been resonated by a tuning capacitor, making it reactance-free, the two-loop combination may provide an adequately matched impedance, without needing an 'L' network. |
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}} |
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When possible, an automatic or remotely-controlled tuner in a weather-proof case at or near the antenna is convenient and makes for an efficient system. With such a tuner, it is possible to match a wide range of antennas<ref>[http://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Books/hfguidebook.pdf SGC World: ''HF Users' Guide'']</ref> (including stealth antennas).<ref>[http://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Manuals/stealthman.pdf SGC World: Stealth Kit.]</ref><ref>[http://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Books/stealthbook.pdf SGC World: Smart Tuners for Stealth Antennas.]</ref> |
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; [[Whip antenna|Short whip]] example: Short vertical antennas such as used for [[high frequency|HF]] mobile, are dominated by capacitive reactance ({{font color|DarkViolet|'''purple'''}} shaded lower half-labrys, <math>\color{Periwinkle} \boldsymbol{\underset{\smile} \curlywedge}</math>, labelled "{{mvar|C}} dominant"), in addition to networks {{color|LightGreen|'''2'''}} and {{font color|Aqua|'''3'''}}, they can be easily matched with inductor-only networks {{font color|DarkViolet|'''7'''}} or {{font color|DarkViolet|'''8'''}}, which is similar (but not identical) to connecting two taps onto a single grounded [[loading coil|coil]] at the base of the whip. |
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When the ATU must be located near the radio for convenient adjustment, any significant SWR will increase the loss in the feedline. For that reason, when using an ATU at the transmitter, low-loss, high-impedance feedline is a great advantage (open-wire line, for example). A short length of low-loss coaxial line is acceptable, but with longer lossy lines the additional loss due to SWR becomes very high.<ref>Hallas, Joel R. (2010). ''The ARRL Guide to Antenna Tuners'', pg. 7-4. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League, {{ISBN|978-0-87259-098-4}}</ref> |
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==== {{mvar|Q}} and phase shift <span class="anchor" id="phase_shift_anchor"></span> ==== |
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Unlike the more complicated networks, described below, the 'L' network does not allow independent choice of [[Q factor|operating {{mvar|Q}}]], nor phase shift. |
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High {{mvar|Q}} implies less loss, but also narrow operating bandwidth. 'L' network {{mvar|Q}} is determined by and scales up or down with the [[geometric mean]] of the input and output impedances, hence it is greater when the impedances to be matched are greatly different. |
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It is very important to remember that when matching the transmitter to the line, as is done when the ATU is near the transmitter, there is no change in the SWR in the feedline. The backlash currents reflected from the antenna are retro-reflected by the ATU – usually several times between the two – and so are invisible on the transmitter-side of the ATU. The result of the multiple reflections is compounded loss, higher voltage or higher currents, and narrowed bandwidth, none of which can be corrected by the ATU. |
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Phase shift can be made to either lead or lag by choosing an alternate network, but like the {{mvar|Q}}, for 'L' networks its value is fixed by the impedance ratio, and odds are that none of the two or four possible networks will provide both a desired phase shift and the right impedance match with the same setting. |
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However, transmitting from a single antenna does not require shifting the phase: Phase shift is only important if two or more antennas are to be fed, such as the [[phased array|arrays of mast antennas]] used by many [[clear-channel station|high-power AM]] {{nobr|stations.<ref name=Cavell-etal-2018/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 1211}} }} |
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{{anchor|ATU and SWR}} |
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== Three-component unbalanced tuners == |
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In contrast to two-element 'L' networks, the circuits described below all have three or more components, and hence have many more choices for inductance and capacitance that will produce an impedance match, unfortunately including some bad choices.<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/> <span class="anchor" id="good_match_descr_anchor">The two main goals of a good match are:</span> |
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# to '''''minimize losses''''' in the matching circuit, and |
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# to '''''maximize bandwidth''''' – e.g. the widest continuous span of frequencies that are all matched tolerably well. |
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To obtain good matches and avoid bad ones, with every antenna and matching circuit combination, the [[#infallible_guide_anchor|radio operator must experiment, test]], and use judgement to choose among the many adjustments that match the same impedances (''see details under the ''[[#infallible_guide_anchor|Infallible guide]] ''heading below"). |
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=== Standing wave ratio === |
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All of the designs with three or more elements also allow a somewhat independent choice of how much the [[phase shift|phase is shifted]] by the matching unit.<ref name=Zhang-Che-etal-2018/> Since phase matching is an advanced topic, mainly of use for multi-[[mast radiator|tower]] [[phased array|broadcast arrays]], it is omitted here for brevity. A good summary of phase change by matching networks is given in the ''Antenna Engineering Handbook''<ref name=Johnson-Jasik-1984/> and the ''[[National Association of Broadcasters|NAB]] Engineering Handbook''.<ref name=Cavell-etal-2018/> |
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[[File:MFJ tuner.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=Backlit cross-needle SWR meter|Cross-needle SWR meter on antenna tuner]] |
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It is a common misconception that a high standing wave ratio (SWR) ''per se'' causes loss.<ref name=W2DU_Reflections/> A well-adjusted ATU feeding an antenna through a low-loss line may have only a small percentage of additional loss compared with an intrinsically matched antenna, even with a high SWR (4:1, for example).<ref>Hall, Jerry (Ed.). (1988). ''ARRL Antenna Book'', p. 25–18ff. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. {{ISBN|978-0-87259-206-3}}</ref> An ATU sitting beside the transmitter just re-reflects energy reflected from the antenna ("backlash current") back yet again along the feedline to the antenna ("retro-reflection").<ref name=W2DU_Reflections /> High losses arise from RF resistance in the feedline and antenna, and those multiple reflections due to high SWR cause feedline losses to be compounded. |
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Using low-loss, high-impedance feedline with an ATU results in very little loss, even with multiple reflections. However, if the feedline-antenna combination is 'lossy' then an identical high SWR may lose a considerable fraction of the transmitter's power output. High impedance lines – such as most parallel-wire lines – carry power mostly as high voltage rather than high current, and current alone determines the power lost to line resistance. So despite high SWR, very little power is lost in high-impedance line compared low-impedance line – typical coaxial cable, for example. For that reason, radio operators can be more casual about using tuners with high-impedance feedline. |
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All of the matching networks in this section can be understood as composites of two 'L' networks. The two networks have four reactive components, and usually the two directly connected components are either both capacitors or both inductors. In that case, the connected same-type components are merged into a single equivalent component, so most of the networks below only show three components instead of four. The descriptions for each network below break it down into a pair of constituent 'L' networks, referenced to the [[#L-network-diagrams|chart from the prior section]]. Although that design information may be 'nice to know', it is not 'need to know', and that part of the line matching network description may be skipped. |
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Without an ATU, the SWR from a mismatched antenna and feedline can present an improper load to the transmitter, causing distortion and loss of power or efficiency with heating and/or burning of the output stage components. Modern solid state transmitters will automatically reduce power when high SWR is detected, so some solid-state power stages only produce weak signals if the SWR rises above 1.5 to 1. Were it not for that problem, even the losses from an SWR of 2:1 could be tolerated, since only 11 percent of transmitted power would be reflected and 89 percent sent out through to the antenna. So the main loss of output power with high SWR is due to the transmitter "backing off" its output when challenged with backlash current. |
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=== High-pass 'T' network <span class="anchor" id="T_network_anchor"></span> === |
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[[File:utransmatch.png|300px|right|thumb|High-pass 'T' network transmatch now common for shortwave transmitting systems|alt=Schematic diagram of the high-pass T-network]] |
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This configuration is currently popular because at [[shortwave]] frequencies it is capable of matching a large impedance range with capacitors in commonly available sizes. However, it is a [[high-pass filter]] and will not attenuate spurious radiation above the [[cutoff frequency]] nearly as well<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/> as other designs (see the [[#low_pass_T_anchor|low pass 'T' network]] and [[#pi_network_anchor|'{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network]] sections, below). Due to its low losses and simplicity, many home-built and commercial manually tuned ATUs use this circuit.<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/> The [[inductor|tuning coil]] is normally also adjustable (not shown). |
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Tube transmitters and amplifiers usually have an adjustable output network that can feed mismatched loads up to perhaps 3:1 SWR without trouble. In effect the built-in [[Pi (letter)|<big>π</big>]]-network of the transmitter output stage acts as an ATU. Further, since tubes are electrically robust (even though mechanically fragile), tube-based circuits can tolerate very high backlash current without damage. |
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==== Composite of high-pass step-down and step-up 'L' networks ==== |
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The 'T' network shown here may be analyzed as a high-pass step-down 'L' network on the input side feeding into a high-pass step-up 'L' network on the output side {{nobr|({{math|{{background|silver| '''{{font color|Yellow|─┬}}'''}}'''{{font color|Aqua|┬─}}'''}}).}} The two side-by-side vertical (shunt) [[inductors]] in the conjoined circuit are combined into an equivalent single inductor. |
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=={{anchor|Applications of ATU}}Broadcast Applications == |
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Like all 'T' networks, the internal impedance pattern is ''low'' {{background|silver| {{math|'''{{font color|Yellow|─┬}}'''}} }} ''high'' {{math|'''{{font color|Aqua|┬─}}'''}} ''low'': Impedance in the center is at least as high as the greater of the input and the output impedances, hence the voltage inside the network is at least as high as the highest of the voltages at its connections on either side. The optimum setting for this network makes the high interior impedance as low as possible: As low as the highest low either on the input or output side. |
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===AM broadcast transmitters === |
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=== Low-pass 'T'-network <span class="anchor" id="low_pass_T_anchor"></span> === |
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[[File:Antenna Tuning Unit, 250 KW AM station, 6 tower array.jpg|thumb|350px|left|ATU for a 250 KW, 6 tower AM Antenna]] |
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[[File:Low-pass_'T'_match_network.png|250px|right|thumb|Low-pass 'T' network transmatch more commonly used for [[AM broadcast]]ing systems.|alt=Schematic diagram of the low-pass T-network]] |
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One of the oldest applications for antenna tuners is in AM and shortwave broadcasting transmitters. AM transmitters usually use a vertical antenna (tower) which can be from 0.20 to 0.68 wavelengths long. At the base of the tower an ATU is used to match the antenna to the 50 Ohm transmission line from the transmitter. The most commonly used circuit is a T-network, using two series inductors with a shunt capacitor between them. When multiple towers are used the ATU network may also provide for a phase adjustment so that the currents in each tower can be phased relative to the others to produce a desired pattern. These patterns are often required by law to include nulls in directions that could produce interference as well as to increase the signal in the target area. Adjustment of the ATUs in a multitower array is a complex and time consuming process requiring considerable expertise. |
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This configuration is popular for [[mediumwave]] transmitting systems, since it requires a shunt capacitor in commonly available sizes, whereas [[#T_network_anchor|the high-pass form]], if used at the same frequencies, would require exceptionally large capacitors in its series sections. Because it is a [[low-pass filter]] this network will effectively eliminate spurious harmonic radiation above its tuned frequency essentially equally as well as any other design, and [[AM broadcast]]ers are subject to stricter surveillance than amateurs operating in the [[shortwave]]s are, and are liable for larger federal and [[common law]] financial penalties when they interfere with other commercial stations' signals. |
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=== {{anchor|Sample application: multiband shortwave transmitter}}High-power shortwave transmitters === |
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Further, at [[medium frequency|medium frequencies (MF)]] the use of inductors as series elements is convenient in several ways: The left and right inductors, which may need to be roughly 10× larger than those used in [[high frequency|HF]] circuits, are easily made by hand from commonly available copper tubing (but avoiding any [[electrical resistance|lossy]] [[copper alloy|alloys]]), and in the lower [[medium frequency|MF]] range, the resistive losses in the coil that are bothersome at [[high frequency|HF]] are reduced by roughly 5~10 [[decibel|dB]]. Using inductors for the series elements is also preferable for MF, since feasible antennas tend to be short, and hence show nuisance capacitive [[Electrical reactance|reactance]]; the needed contrary reactance can be straightforwardly provided just by making the antenna-side coil extra large. |
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For International Shortwave (50 kW and above), frequent antenna tuning is done as part of frequency changes which may be required on a seasonal or even a daily basis. Modern shortwave transmitters typically include built-in impedance-matching circuitry for SWR up to 2:1 , and can adjust their output impedance within 15 seconds. |
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The matching networks in transmitters sometimes incorporate a balun or an external one can be installed at the transmitter in order to feed a balanced line. Balanced transmission lines of 300 Ohms or more were more-or-less standard for all shortwave transmitters and antennas in the past, even by amateurs. Most shortwave broadcasters have continued to use high-impedance feeds even before the advent of automatic impedance matching. |
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==== Composite of low-pass step-up and step-down 'L' networks ==== |
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Like the high-pass 'T' network in the prior section, this low-pass network may also be analyzed as a step-down 'L' network on the input side feeding into a step-up 'L' network on the output side ({{math|'''{{font color|LightGreen|─┬}}{{font color|red|┬─}}'''}}). The impedance pattern is again ''low'' {{math|'''{{font color|LightGreen|─┬}}'''}} ''high'' {{math|'''{{font color|red|┬─}}'''}} ''low'', with as high or higher impedance / higher voltage in the center of the network than the highest of the connections on either side. |
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The most commonly used shortwave antennas for international broadcasting are the |
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The two side-by-side [[capacitor]]s from the two 'L' networks are merged in the conjoined network into a single capacitor with the same total capacitance. The only real distinction between the high-pass network above, and this low-pass design, is that in this network the placement of inductors and capacitors in the network is swapped. |
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[[HRS antenna]] (curtain array), which cover a 2 to 1 frequency range and the [[log-periodic antenna]] which cover up to 8 to 1 frequency range. Within that range, the SWR will vary, but is usually kept below 1.7 to 1 – within the range of SWR that can be tuned by antenna matching built-into many modern transmitters. Hence, when feeding these antennas, a modern transmitter will be able to tune itself as needed to match at any frequency. |
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==Automatic antenna tuning== |
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==== Case example of a low-pass 'T' network <span class="anchor" id="How T-network works"></span> ==== |
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[[File:Example_of_T_match_with_reactive_load.png|300px|right|thumb|'T' network match for a partly reactive load|alt=Schematic diagram of the low-pass T-network]] |
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An example schematic for matching with the low pass 'T' network is shown at the right. |
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The load measures {{nobr| {{mvar|Z}}{{sub|load}} {{=}} 200 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] − {{mvar|j}} 75 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] }} with 200 Ω (without {{mvar|j}} ) representing the real, resistive part, and {{nobr| −{{mvar|j}} 75 Ω }} the capacitively reactive part of the combined impedance {{mvar|Z}}{{sub|load}}. Conceptually, the {{nobr| −{{mvar|j}} 75 Ω }} can be cancelled by adding a series inductor with {{nobr| +{{mvar|j}} 75 Ω }} reactance. Doing so leaves a purely resistive (real) 200 Ω to be matched to 50 Ω. |
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The resistance-matching is done with a circuit that mimics a 100 Ω [[quarter wave impedance transformer]], consisting of two inductors with {{nobr| +{{mvar|j}} 100 Ω }} reactance and a shunt capacitor with {{nobr| −{{mvar|j}} 100 Ω .}} The quarter wave-style transformer circuit uses equal and opposite reactances, each of which is the geometric mean of the two resistances to be matched: |
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: <math>\ \sqrt{\ 50\ \mathsf{\Omega}\ \times\ 200\ \mathsf{\Omega} \;} = \sqrt{\ 10\,000\ \mathsf{\Omega}^2 \;} = 100\ \mathsf{\Omega} ~.</math> |
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The output inductor of the quarter wave network can be merged with the inductor used to cancel the reactance of the load, by replacing the pair with one inductor with the sum of the two inductances. The final network will have {{nobr| +{{mvar|j}} 100 Ω }} for the input inductor, {{nobr| −{{mvar|j}} 100 Ω }} for the capacitor and {{nobr| +{{mvar|j}} 175 Ω }} for the output inductor. |
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This quarter-wave-style solution will cause a phase shift of 90 degrees. If the output phase matters, then one of the many other possible solutions for the capacitance and two inductances can be used instead.<ref name=Zhang-Che-etal-2018/> This solution uses a low pass configuration. Swapping the inductors and capacitors, and appropriately adjusting their reactances, would give a high pass configuration. |
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=== Low-pass '𝝅' network <span class="anchor" id="pi_network_anchor"></span> === |
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[[File:pimatch.png|300px|right|thumb|The low-pass '{{big|{{math|π}}}}'-network |alt=Schematic diagram of {{big|{{math|π}}}}-network antenna tuner]] |
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A [[pi (letter)|'{{big|{{math|π}}}}' (''pi'')]] network can also be used; it is the electrical conjugate{{efn| |
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The ''electrical conjugate'' of a circuit is a similar circuit in which all of the parallel reactive elements (capacitors and inductors) are replaced by series elements of the opposite type (e.g. capacitors wired in parallel are replaced by inductors in series), and similarly, series reactive parts are replaced by parallel components of the opposite type. Resistors (if any) are left unchanged, and incidental loss resistances in reactive components are ignored. |
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}} |
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of the low pass 'T' network shown in the prior subsection. This ATU has exceptionally good attenuation of harmonics, and was incorporated into the output stage of tube-based 'vintage' transmitters and many modern tube-based RF amplifiers. However, the standard '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' circuit is not popular for stand-alone multiband antenna tuners, since the variable capacitors needed for the [[160 meter band|160 m]] and [[80 meter band|80 / 75 m]] [[Amateur radio frequency allocations|amateur bands]] are prohibitively large and expensive. |
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==== Composite of low-pass step-up and step-down 'L' networks ==== |
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The '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network shown here may be described mathematically as a low-pass step-up 'L' network on the input side feeding into a low-pass step-down 'L' network on the output side ({{math|'''{{font color|red|┬─}}{{font color|LightGreen|─┬}}'''}}). The two noze-to-noze [[inductor]]s in the joined circuit are replaced with a single inductor with the same total inductance. |
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The impedance pattern is ''high'' {{math|'''{{font color|red|┬─}}'''}} ''low'' {{math|'''{{font color|LightGreen|─┬}}'''}} ''high'' – opposite the pattern of 'T' match circuitry – hence the interior impedance must be at least as low as the lowest of the input and output impedances: Impedance and voltage as low or lower than both input and output / current as high or higher in the center, circulating ''inside'' the network, as the current fed in and drawn out on either side. The optimum setting for this network makes the low interior impedance as high as possible: As high as the lowest high either on the input or output side. |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Drake's modified '𝝅' network <span class="anchor" id="modified_pi_network_anchor"></span> === |
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[[File:Drake ATU PI.png|right|thumb|Modified '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network circuit used in Drake tuners.<ref name=Drake-MN-4-man/><ref name=Belrose-1984-01-QST/>]] |
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A modified version of the '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network is more practical as it uses a fixed input capacitor (left-most), which can be several thousand picofarads, allowing the variable capacitors (the two on the right) to be smaller. A band switch (not shown) sets the inductor and the left-side input capacitor (shown as fixed [[Electrical component#Passive components|components]] in the [[circuit diagram|schematic]]).<ref name=Drake-MN-4-man>{{cite book |title=Drake MN-4 Users' Manual |publisher=[[R. L. Drake Company]] |via=RadioManual |url=http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/ACC_matching/Drake_MN-4_user.pdf}}</ref> This circuit was widely used in commercial line tuners covering 1.8–30 MHz made before the popularity of the simpler 'T'‑network, above.<ref name=Belrose-1984-01-QST/> |
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In all antenna tuner circuits each of the available adjustments affects both the reactive and resistive parts of the impedance match. Drake's modified '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network circuit is somewhat unusual in that regard: For a given setting of the band switch, the upper right, series capacitor mostly adjusts the reactive part of the impedance match, and the lower right, shunt capacitor mostly affects the resistive part of the impedance match. This makes it easier to estimate how to adjust the two variable capacitor settings, when the operator knows the type and location of the antenna's resonant frequency nearest to the radio's operating frequency. |
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==== Cascaded capacitor-capacitor step-down and low-pass step-down 'L' networks ==== |
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It can also be viewed as two 'L' networks coupled front to back: A capacitor-inductor low pass step-up network on the left, feeding into a capacitor-capacitor step-up network on the right ({{math|'''{{font color|red|┬─}}{{font color|DarkOrange|┬─}}'''}}). The normal impedance pattern is ''high'' {{math|'''{{font color|red|┬─}}'''}} ''intermediate'' {{math|'''{{font color|DarkOrange|┬─}}'''}} ''low''. As long as the radio-side shunt capacitor, on the left, is not "pegged" to its lowest value, the center of the network has an impedance in between the impedances of its input and output, hence moderate voltage and current that both lie in between the antenna and radio connections. With all moderate settings, the "natural" tendency of this network is to transform resistance downward, from radio to antenna. |
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One way of transforming upward, is to configure its settings to a strange extreme, with the left-hand capacitor set to, or near to, its lowest capacitance (high reactance) to make it almost vanish from the network. The remaining three components then approximate a virtual 'T' network with an unusual-looking inductor-capacitor-capacitor form; the virtual 'T' can be configured as above, to a ''low-high-low'' pattern, with the antenna-side ''low'' higher than the radio-side ''low'', and both lower than or as low as the center impedance, which will in turn have voltages at least as high as the greater of the input and output connections. |
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{{clear}} |
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=== SPC tuner === |
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[[File:SPCmatch.png|240px|right|thumb|{{center|SPC transmatch schematic. Although not shown, the inductor is normally adjustable.<ref name=deMaw1984/><ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/>}}|alt=Schematic diagram of SPC antenna tuner]] |
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The '''series parallel capacitor''' or '''SPC''' tuner uses a [[band-pass filter|band-pass circuit]] that can act both as an antenna coupler and as a [[preselector]]. Because it is a band-pass circuit, the SPC tuner has much better harmonic suppression than the high-pass 'T' match above, but uses similar-cost tuning capacitors; its performance is better than the "Ultimate" circuit below. The SPC's harmonic suppression is only surpassed by the low-pass 'T' and '{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network tuners, described above, and then only when the SPC is adjusted in favor of low loss rather than narrow bandwidth.<ref name=deMaw1984/><ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/> |
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With the SPC tuner the losses will be somewhat higher than with the 'T' network, since the grounded capacitor will shunt some reactive current to ground, which must be at least partially neutralized by even more current through the inductor to add contrary reactance.<ref name=Schmidt-1997-1998/><ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/> A trade-off is that the effective inductance of the coil-capacitor combination is higher than the coil alone, thus allowing operation at lower frequencies than would otherwise be possible.<ref name=deMaw1984/> |
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==== Composite of capacitor-capacitor step-up and high-pass step-down 'L' networks ==== |
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The SPC circuit is equivalent to a back-to-back pair of 'L' networks: A high-pass [[capacitor]]-[[inductor]] step down network on the input side feeding into a [[capacitor]]-[[capacitor]] step up network on the output side ({{math|{{background|silver| '''{{font color|Yellow|─┬}}'''}}}}{{background|white|'''{{font color|DarkOrange|┬─}}'''}}). The combination of the vertical (shunt) [[inductor]] and shunt capacitor parallel to it is a [[tank circuit]] that [[ground (electricity)|grounds]] out-of-tune signals. When tuned to exploit that action, the [[tank circuit]] makes the SPC a [[band-pass filter]] that eliminates harmonics as effectively as the low-pass 'T' and [[#pi_network_anchor|'{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network]]s, although the SPC requires careful adjustment for best narrow band results, whereas the low-pass networks are effective at blocking harmonics at ''any'' matched setting. |
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The internal impedance pattern is the same ''low'' {{nobr|{{math|{{background|silver| '''{{font color|Yellow|─┬}}''' }} }} }}{{backgroundcolor|white| ''high''}} {{math|'''{{font color|DarkOrange|┬─}}'''}} ''low'' pattern found in the 'T' match networks, above, with the center impedance at least as high (hence as-high or higher voltage) as the highest at either the input or output connection. The impedance transform comes via the step from the nominal ''low'' signal impedance on the antenna side to the high in the transmatch center being either a greater rise (hence <math>\ R_\mathsf{ant\ side} < 50\ \mathsf\Omega\ ,</math> or "step up" from antenna to radio) or lesser rise (hence <math>\ R_\mathsf{ant\ side} > 50\ \mathsf\Omega\ ,</math> or "step down") than the drop from the ''high'' in the center to the ''low'' on the radio side. |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Ultimate transmatch === |
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[[File:Ultimate Transmatch.png|thumb|{{center|Schematic diagram of the so called "Ultimate Transmatch"<ref name=McCoy-1970-07/><ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/>}}]] |
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Originally, the ''Ultimate transmatch'' was promoted as a way to make the components more manageable at the lowest frequencies of interest, and to also get some harmonic attenuation. A version of McCoy's Ultimate transmatch network is shown in the illustration to the right.<ref name=McCoy-1970-07/><ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/> |
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The circuit is now considered obsolete; the design goals were better realized by the ''[[#SPC tuner|Series-Parallel Capacitor (SPC) network]]'', shown [[#SPC tuner|above]],<ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/> using identical parts.<ref name=deMaw1984/> |
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==== Cascaded high-pass step-down and capacitor-capacitor step-down 'L' networks ==== |
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The 'Ultimate' circuit has the same general front-to-back topology ({{math|'''{{font color|DarkOrange|┬─}}{{font color|Aqua|┬─}}'''}}) as the Drake modified '{{big|{{math|π}}}}', above, but with a high-pass 'L' component (instead of a low-pass component) which is placed on the output side instead of input. Unfortunately, using a ganged capacitor, with a single adjustment and with that ganged capacitor-capacitor 'L' component placed on the input side, the left capacitor can neither appreciably help match impedance, nor adequately reduce harmonic output.<ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/> |
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Like the Drake modified '{{big|{{math|π}}}}', its impedance pattern is, ''high'' {{math|'''{{font color|DarkOrange|┬─}}'''}} ''intermediate'' {{math|'''{{font color|Aqua|┬─}}'''}} ''low'', and so for moderate settings has a "natural" tendency to transform resistances downward, with voltages and currents inside the network that lie in between those at its radio and antenna-side connections. It is unclear how well it can transform radio resistance up to a higher antenna impedance. |
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{{clear}} |
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== Balanced versions of unbalanced tuner circuits == |
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<span class="anchor" id="balanced_L_and_T_diagram">[[File:balance and symmetry.svg|thumb|300px| Top row: unbalanced low-pass tuning networks; bottom row: balanced versions same network. All components would be variable, but the symbolic arrows are not shown. <br/>  {{nobr|{{small|'''Fig. 1.'''}} unbalanced}} low-pass 'L' network;<br/>  {{nobr|{{small|'''Fig. 3.'''}}   balanced}} low-pass 'L' network.<br/>  {{nobr|{{small|'''Fig. 2.'''}} unbalanced}} low-pass 'T' network;<br/>  {{nobr|{{small|'''Fig. 4.'''}}   balanced}} low-pass 'T' network.]]</span> |
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The previous sections only discuss networks designed for unbalanced lines; this section and all the following sections discuss tuners generally, or tuners for balanced lines.{{efn| |
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name=Balanced_line_note|<br/> |
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Note well that even co-axial cables ''should'' be driven by balanced currents, in order to prevent them from reacting with large metal objects or the soil that they run close-by. The common statement that [[coaxial cable|co-axial]] lines are inherently unbalanced is completely false, likewise the claim that [[twinlead|parallel-wire]] cable is inherently balanced: Each can carry balanced or unbalanced currents. Any two-conductor (or more) transmission line can either be "balanced" or "unbalanced"; it all depends on how currents are driven through it, and does not at all depend on how the line is made (with the sole exception of a [[single-wire transmission line]], like a [[telegraph wire]]). |
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}} |
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In order to feed a balanced current into a transmission line,{{efn|name=Balanced_line_note}} one must use a tuner that has two "hot" output terminals, rather than one "hot" terminal and one "cold" (grounded).{{efn| |
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name=feed_through_balun_note| |
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An alternative for feeding a balanced line is to run output from an unbalanced matching unit into a balun – preferably a ''current'' balun or a current + voltage double-balun – and use the balun output to drive the transmission line. The problem, however, is that the balun must be rugged enough to withstand currents as badly unbalanced and reactive as the matching system can handle, while still remaining efficient and frequency-versatile; all that may be demanding too much from any one balun. |
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}} |
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Since modern transmitters almost always have 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] co-axial (nominally unbalanced) output, the most efficient system has the tuner provide a balanced to unbalanced ([[balun]]) transformation as well as providing an impedance match.<ref name=Belrose-1984-01-QST/> |
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There is a simple standard method for converting any of the unbalanced tuner circuits described in the preceding main section into a balanced version of the same circuit (''see'' [[balanced circuit]]). The [[#balanced_L_and_T_diagram|diagram at the right]] shows low-pass unbalanced networks in the top row (an 'L' network in the left column, a 'T' network in the right column), above their equivalent balanced versions of in the bottom row. |
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Commercially available "inherently balanced" tuners are made as balanced versions of 'L', 'T', and '<big>{{math|π}}</big>' circuits.<ref name=Belrose-1984-01-QST/> Their drawback is that the components used for each of the two output channels must be carefully matched and attached pairs, so that adjusting them causes an identical tuning change to both "hot" sides of the circuit. Hence, most "inherently balanced" tuners are much more difficult to make, and more than twice as expensive as unbalanced tuners. |
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=== Balanced voltage taps on the coil of an unbalanced circuit === |
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Even with a single-winding transformer, some unbalanced transmatch designs can be adapted to create balanced output without the need for two, independent windings:<ref name=Belrose-1984-01-QST/> Most matching networks include a [[inductor|coil]], and that coil can accept or produce balanced voltage on the antenna side if the antenna feed's tap-points are placed symmetrically above and below the electrically neutral point on the coil (so the coil must be grounded somewhere near its middle). |
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The effect is to force balanced voltages, instead of the desired balanced currents.{{efn| |
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name=voltage_balance| |
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There is usually no benefit to forcing the two sides of an antenna to balance voltages. It is almost always better to allow the antenna to "float" with respect to an earth ground,<ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/> since antenna performance that depends on ''balance'' always depends on balanced ''current'' rather than balanced voltage. Forcing ''voltages'' to balance may actually unbalance currents, and hence cause poor performance. |
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: |
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In the case of these antenna-feed matching circuits, it is almost always a bad idea to connect the transmitter / amplifier side's ground to the antenna side's ground if one is conveniently handed an opportunity to keep the grounds separate. |
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}} |
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This technique was experimented with in early years of the 20th century, but appears to no longer be in use.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} This article does not include any such circuit designs, as yet. |
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== <span class="anchor" id="Balanced_line_tuners">Tuned-transformers for matching to balanced-lines</span> == |
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<!-- Split diagram into separate, individual diagrams, so they could lie close by the text describing them --- |
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{{anchor|balanced_network_diagrams_anchor}} |
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[[File:Circuit diagram for six types of balanced line antenna tuners (edited, v 2).png|thumb|400px|center|{{center|Six balanced tuner schematics{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}}{{efn|name=floating_capacitor_note}}]] |
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--> |
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The following balanced networks all have been used for line matching. Many are listed in old editions of the ''ARRL Antenna Book''<ref name=ARRL-AntBk-1988/><ref name=ARRL-antbk-2011/> and ''ARRL Handbook for Radio''.<ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014/> All of the line matching circuits in this section are ''tuned transformer'' type networks; none of the designs below are balanced versions of any of the unbalanced circuits described above. |
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{{clear}} |
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[[File:Balanced transmatch - fixed link + taps.png|thumb|300px|Schematic for a fixed-link transformer, tapped and tuned secondary.{{efn| |
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name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note| |
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Regarding ''optional'' and ''mandatory'' ground connections: |
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: |
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All of the circuits in this subsection show a ground connection (a downward pointing triangle) on the antenna side (right hand side). The antenna-side ground on the right is {{grey|shaded grey}}, with dashed lines, because it is ''optional''; if used, it will effectively force balanced ''voltage'' against ground on the two output terminals (whereas the desired effect is a balanced ''current'', which might not be achieved). |
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Conventional wisdom is that the ''{{grey|optional}}'' grounds should not be connected.<ref name=Maxwell-1981-08/>{{efn|name=voltage_balance}} |
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: |
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The triangle on the left represents a mandatory ground, obtained through the signal line ground cabled to the transmitter. For safety it should be redundantly wired to RF ground, as shown. |
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}}{{efn| |
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name=floating_capacitor_note|<br/> |
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Removing the optional ground on the balanced (right) side of the circuit does require the dual-section variable capacitor to be mounted so that it can electrically "float", with its frame and tuning shaft insulated from the chassis and tuning knob. When such insulated mounting is provided, there is no reason to use a dual-section capacitor and it can be replaced by a less expensive single-section capacitor. |
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}} ]] |
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=== Fixed link with taps === |
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The '''Fixed link with taps''' is the most basic circuit. [[Q factor|The <math>Q</math> factor]] will be nearly constant and is set by the number of relative turns on the input link. The match is found by tuning the capacitor and selecting taps on the main coil, which may be done with a switch accessing various taps or by physically moving clips from turn to turn. If the turns on the main coil are changed to move to a higher or lower frequency, the link turns should also change. The standard positioning of the attachment points for the coil taps is symmetrical. Both tap points are equally spaced from the center of the coil, and when the connections are moved, they are moved the same distance in opposite directions: Either both tapped points are moved away from the center of the coil, or both tapped points are moved towards the center of the coil by the same distance. |
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{{clear}} |
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[[File:Balanced transmatch - hairpin tuner + taps.png|thumb|300px|Schematic for a "hairpin" link transformer, with tapped secondary and output tuning capacitor.{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}}{{efn|name=floating_capacitor_note}}]] |
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=== Hairpin tuner === |
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The '''Hairpin tuner''' (right) is effectively the same electrical circuit as the ''fixed link with taps'', above, but uses "hairpin" inductors (a tapped transmission line, short-circuited at the far end) instead of coiled inductors.<ref name=ARRL-antbk-2011/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 24⸗12}} Moving the tap points along the hairpin allows continuous adjustment of the impedance transformation, which is difficult on a solenoid coil. |
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It is useful for very short wavelengths from about 10 meters to 70 cm (frequencies about [[Very high frequency|30 MHz to 430 MHz]]) where a coiled inductor would have too few turns to allow fine adjustment. These tuners typically operate over at most a 2:1 frequency range. |
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{{clear}} |
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[[File:Balanced transmatch - swinging link + taps.png|thumb|300px|Schematic for a variable coupling ("swinging" link) transformer, with a tapped, parallel-tuned secondary.{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}}{{efn|name=floating_capacitor_note}}]] |
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=== Swinging link with taps === |
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'''Swinging link with taps''' modifies the '''Fixed link with taps''' by mounting the primary winding on a movable ("swinging") platform that can be brought closer to, or further from, the transformer. The ''swinging link'' is a form of variable transformer, that changes the coils' mutual inductance by swinging the primary coil in and out of the gap between halves of the secondary coil. |
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Meshing the primary winding more completely inside the secondary winding also allows fine adjustment with fewer coil taps (an effectively similar and less complicated circuit modification, mentioned below, is to put a capacitor in series with the primary). The variable inductance makes these tuners more flexible than the basic circuit, but at some cost in complexity, both in terms of construction and in terms of dealing with more possible adjustments. Conventionally, the connected tap points on the secondary coil are positioned symmetrically around the coil's center. |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Double-tuned transformer === |
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{{Gallery |
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| title = Matching networks using a double-tuned transformer |
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| align = right |
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| File:Balanced transmatch - series cap + taps.png |
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| Schematic for a fixed-link double-tuned transformer, with a tapped secondary, and series input and parallel output capacitors.{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}}{{efn|name=floating_capacitor_note}} |
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| alt1=Balanced transmatch - series capacitors with tapped secondary.{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}} |
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| File:Balanced transmatch - series cap for low-Z lines.png |
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| Schematic for a fixed-link double-tuned transformer, with both output capacitors in series – suitable for low impedance output.{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}} |
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| alt2=Balanced transmatch - series capacitors for low-Z lines |
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}} |
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The diagrams, right, show two alternate configurations electrically similar circuits: ''Series cap with taps'' (left) attaches the antenna in parallel with the transformer coil and capacitor C2, via taps, and ''Series cap for low-Z lines'' (right) attaches the antenna in series with the coil and capacitor C2. |
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Using C1 to tune or de-tune the primary winding to the tuning of the secondary winding by C2 has approximately the same effect as moving the two windings closer or further apart, similar to the '''swinging link''' (described in the prior subsection). |
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; Series cap with taps : (left) adds a series capacitor to the input side of the ''Fixed link with taps''. The input capacitor allows fine adjustment with fewer taps on the main coil. As described above, the connected tap points on the coil are positioned symmetrically around the coil's center. |
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; Series cap for low-Z lines : (right) shows an alternate connection for the series capacitor circuit that dispenses with taps on the coil, but is only useful for feedlines showing low impedance at their ends. The capacitors marked C2a and C2b must be electrically disconnected and isolated from ground, as well as being "ganged" through an insulated connection. |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Fixed link with differential capacitors === |
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[[File:Balanced transmatch - fixed link + differential capacitors.png|thumb|300px|Schematic for a fixed-link transformer. Uses double-differential capacitor instead of secondary taps. Renowned Johnson Matchbox (JMB) circuit.{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}}{{efn|name=floating_capacitor_note}}]] |
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The '''Fixed link with differential capacitors''' circuit (right) was the design used for the well-regarded ''Johnson Matchbox'' (JMB) tuners. |
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The four output capacitor-sections (C2a,b,c,d) are a "ganged" double-differential capacitor: The rotor axels of the four sections are mechanically connected and their plates aligned, so that as the top and bottom capacitor sections (C2a & C2d) ''increase'' in capacitance<!-- somewhat outdated "capacity" is British-only; it is not used in U.S. technical English --> the two middle sections (C2b & C2c) ''decrease'' in capacitance, and vice versa (notice the arrow heads on C2 in the diagram are shown with both matching and contrary directions). This provides a smooth change of loading that is electrically equivalent to moving taps on the secondary. The Johnson Matchbox used a band switch (not shown) to change the number of turns on the transformer secondary for each of the five frequency bands available to hams in the 1940s.<ref name=Westerman-Viking-Annecke/> |
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The JMB design has been criticized since the two middle-section capacitors C2b & C2c are not strictly necessary to obtain a match;<ref name=Maxwell-2010/><ref name=Rauch-JMB/> however, the middle sections conveniently limit changes of capacitor C2 (which mostly adjusts the impedance level match) from disturbing the setting for capacitor C1 (which mostly adjust the match frequency). |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Double-tuned link with differential capacitors<span class="anchor" id="Annecke_enhanced_JMB_anchor"></span> === |
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[[File:Balanced transmatch - double-tuned link + differential capacitors.png|thumb|300px|Alfred Annecke's {{circa|1970}} enhanced version of the Johnson Matchbox antenna tuner<ref name=Annecke-c1970/><ref name=Westerman-Viking-upgrade/>{{efn|name=optional-vs-mandatory-ground-note}}]] |
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Later designs enhancing the limited range of the otherwise respected Johnson Matchbox (JMB) to accommodate the many more modern [[shortwave]] amateur bands, either add switched taps to the link (input) inductor, or may include a capacitor in series with the input coil winding.<ref name=Westerman-Viking-Annecke/><ref name=Rauch-JMB/><ref name=Annecke-c1970/><ref name=Westerman-Viking-upgrade/> Both of these extra adjustments are shown in [[#Annecke_enhanced_JMB_anchor|the schematic (right)]]. As in the case of the '''double-tuned transformer''' and the '''swinging link''' matching networks described above, these are both ways to allow fine-tuning without meddling with the JMB bandswitch and its intricately soldered tap connections to the secondary coil (not shown) which changes the number of turns used on the output side of the transformer. |
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Using C1 to tune or de-tune the primary side of the transformer to the settings for C2 + C3 on the secondary side has approximately the same effect as moving the two sides of the transformer closer or further apart, hence simulating a swinging link. |
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Adjusting the number of taps on the primary coil adjusts the [[Quality factor|{{mvar|Q}}]] of the network, widening or narrowing its matched frequency span, and permits compensation for change in {{mvar|Q}} resulting from the bandswitch changing the number of connected secondary turns; it also gives purpose to the generally unused extra primary windings that were originally part of a separate relay-switched feed for older 600 Ω receivers, which were still in use during the 1940s. |
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Including the band switch (not shown), this circuit has five separate available controls, which complicates adjusting its settings. |
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{{clear}} |
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=== Z match === |
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[[File:Z match.png|thumb|Schematic of Z match antenna tuner]] |
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The approach taken with the Z-match design is to incorporate a conventional two-winding [[transformer]] into the transmatch in order to have the option to deliver balanced output from the matching circuit. The separate input and output windings isolate the ground on the input side from the output side (grounded or ungrounded), which permits the connection of either balanced or unbalanced loads on the output side, regardless of the input side connection. Output coming from a transformer secondary ensures that the output currents are balanced, and allows the output voltages to float with respect to ground. |
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[[File:Z match tuner, double resonances in the response.png|thumb|right|The Z match tuner response. Note the low frequency and high frequency peaks.]] |
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The Z-match is an ATU widely used for low-power amateur radio which is commonly used both as an unbalanced and as a balanced tuner.<ref>{{cite web |author=Salas, Phil |title=A 100 Watt compact Z-match antenna tuner |website=AD5X |url=http://www.ad5x.com/images/Articles/Ztuner%20RevA.pdf}} |
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</ref><ref name=QRP-kits-BLT>{{cite web |title=Balanced line tuner |website=QRP Kits |url=http://www.qrpkits.com/blt_plus.html}}</ref> The Z match is a doubled version of a resonant transformer circuit, with three tuning capacitors.{{efn| |
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Note that the metal frames (if any) of each of the capacitors in the design must be electrically isolated from ground. |
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}} |
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Two of the capacitors with separate connections to the primary transformer coil are ganged, and effectively constitute two separate resonant transformer circuits, which simultaneously tune two distinct resonant frequencies. The double-resonance enables the single circuit across the coil to cover a wider frequency range without needing to switch the inductance: Every setting offers two different frequencies, in separate frequency bands, that are both impedance matched at once. Because the output side is a transformer secondary (optionally grounded) it can be used to feed either balanced or unbalanced transmission lines without any modification to the circuit. |
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The Z-match design is limited in its power output by the core used for the output transformer. A powdered iron or ferrite core about 1.6 inches in diameter should handle 100 [[Watt (unit)|W]]. A tuner built for low-power use (radio jargon [[QRP operation|"QRP"]] – typically 5 [[Watt (unit)|W]] or less) can use a smaller core.<ref name=QRP-kits-BLT/> |
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== Balanced match from an unbalanced tuner and a balun == |
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Another approach to feeding balanced lines is to use an unbalanced tuner with a [[balun]] on either the input (transmitter) or output (antenna) side of the tuner. Most often using the popular [[#T_network_anchor|high pass T circuit]] described above, with either a 1:1 [[Balun#Transmission-line transformer type|current balun]] on the input side of the unbalanced tuner or a balun (typically 4:1) on the output side. It can be managed, but doing so both efficiently and safely is not easy. |
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=== Balun between the antenna and the ATU === |
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Any balun placed on the output (antenna) side of a tuner must be built to withstand high voltage and current stresses, because of the wide range of impedances it must handle.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hallas |first=Joel R., Dr. (W1ZR) |date=2014-09-01 |df=dmy-all |title=The Doctor is In |magazine=[[QST]] |page=60 |location=Newington, CT |publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] }}</ref> |
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For a wide range of frequencies and impedances it may not be possible to build a robust balun that is adequately efficient. For a narrow range of frequencies, using transmission line stubs or sections for impedance transforms ([[#stub_section_match_anchor|as described above]]) may well be more feasible and will certainly be more efficient. |
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=== Balun between the transmitter and the ATU === |
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The demands put on the balun are more modest if the balun is put on the input end of the tuner – between the tuner and the transmitter. Placed on that end it always operates into a constant 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] impedance from the transmitter on one side, and has the matching network to protect it from wild swings in the feedline impedance on the other side: All to the good. Unfortunately, making the input from the transmitter balanced creates "hot ground" problems that must be remedied. |
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If an unbalanced tuner is fed with a balanced line from a balun instead of directly from the transmitter, then its normal antenna connection – the center wire of its output coaxial cable – provides the signal as usual to one side of the antenna. However the ground side of that same output connection now becomes the feed of an equal and opposite current to the other side of the antenna; the only unsatisfactory consequence is that the entire grounded portion of the tuner becomes "hot" with [[radio frequency|RF power]], including the tuner's metal chassis, metal control knobs, and insulated knobs' metal set-screws, all touched by the operator. |
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=== The "hot ground" inside the ATU === |
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The "true" external ground voltage at the antenna and transmitter must lie halfway between the two "hot" feeds, one of which is the internal ground: Inside the ATU, the matching circuit's "false" ground level is equally different from the "true" ground level at either the antenna or the transmitter as the original "hot" wire is, but with opposite polarity. Either the usual "hot" output wire or the matching circuit "hot ground" will give you exactly the same shock if you touch it. |
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The tuner circuit must "[[floating ground|float]]" above or below the exterior ground level in order for the ATU circuit ground (or ''common side'') that formerly was attached to the output cable's ground wire to feed the second hot wire: The circuit's [[floating ground]] must provide a voltage difference adequate to drive current through an output terminal to make the second output "hot".<ref name=ARRL-antbk-2011/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 24⸗13}} |
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High voltages are normal in any efficient ("high {{mvar|Q}}") impedance matching circuit bridging a wide mismatch. Unless the incompatible grounds are carefully kept separate, the high voltages present between this interior ''[[floating ground]]'' (the "false" ground) and the exterior transmitter and antenna "true" grounds can lead to arcing, corona discharge, capacitively coupled ground currents, and electric shock.{{efn|name=corona_discharge_note}} |
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=== Carefully keeping the incompatible grounds separate === |
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To reduce power loss and protect the operator and the equipment, the tuner chassis must be double-layered: An outer chassis and an inner chassis. The outer chassis must enclose and separate the tuning circuit and its [[floating ground]] from the outside, while itself remaining at the level of the exterior "true" ground(s). Inside the protective outer chassis, the inner chassis can maintain its own incompatible floating ground level, safely isolated. |
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The inner chassis can be reduced to nothing more than a mounting platform inside the outer chassis, elevated on insulators to keep a safe distance between the "floating ground" and the outer chassis wired to the "true" electrical ground line(s). The inner tuning circuit's metal mounting chassis, and in particular the metal rods connected to adjustment knobs on the outer chassis must all be kept separate from the surface touched by the operator and from direct electrical contact with the transmitter's ground on its connection cable ("true" ground). |
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Isolating the controls is usually done by replacing at least part of the metal connecting rods between knobs on the outside surface and adjustable parts on the inside platform with an insulated rod, either made of a sturdy ceramic or a plastic that tolerates high temperatures. Further, the metal inner and outer parts must be spaced adequately far apart to prevent current leaking out via capacitive coupling when the interior voltages are high. Finally, all these arrangements must be secured with greater than usual care, to ensure that jostling, pressure, or heat expansion cannot create a contact or narrow the gap between the inner and outer grounds. |
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=== Summary === |
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Using an inherently unbalanced circuit for a balanced tuner puts difficult constraints on the tuner's construction and high demands on the builder's craftsmanship. The advantage of such a design is that its inner, inherently unbalanced matching circuit always requires only a single component where a balanced version of the same circuit often requires two. Hence it does ''not'' require identical pairs of components for the two "hot" ends of the circuit(s) in order to ensure balance to ground within the ATU, and its output current is inherently balanced, even though its interior circuit is unbalanced with respect to the interior "false" / "hot" / floating ground. |
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== Antenna system losses == |
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=== Efficiency and SWR === |
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If there is still a high [[Standing wave ratio|standing wave ratio (SWR)]] beyond the ATU, in a significantly long segment of feedline, any loss in that part of the feedline is typically increased by the transmitted waves reflecting back and forth between the impedance change at the tuner output and the impedance change at the antenna feedpoint, compounding the normal resistive losses in the transmission line by making multiple passes through it. Even with a matching unit at both ends of the feedline – the near ATU matching the transmitter to the feedline and the remote ATU matching the feedline to the antenna – loss in the circuitry of the two ATUs will still ''slightly'' reduce power delivered to the antenna. |
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# The most efficient use of a transmitter's power is to use a [[Electrical resonance|resonant]] antenna with built-in matching to the feed line impedance (via matching at the antenna feed with a gamma match, 'Y'-match, stub match, or similar, or a transformer connected at the feedpoint), cabled via a feedline whose [[characteristic impedance|impedance]] is the same as the antenna's feedpoint, fed by a transmitter which has that same feed impedance. There are still small losses in every realistic feedline, even when [[Impedance matching|all impedances match]], but matching minimizes that loss. |
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# It is almost equally efficient to feed a remote antenna tuner attached directly to the antenna, via a long feedline between the radio and the tuner, with the transmitter, the ATU feed point, and the transmission line all the same impedance. The only extra losses are in the tuner circuitry, which can be kept small ''if the tuner is adjusted for a "good" match'' ([[#good_match_descr_anchor|see below]]) and the degree of mismatch carefully tested at or near the antenna (''not'' at the transmitter). |
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# It is usually inefficient to operate an antenna far from one of its resonant frequencies and attempt to compensate with an ATU next to the transmitter, far from the antenna; the entire feedline from the ATU to the antenna is still mismatched, which will magnify the normal losses in the feedline – particularly if it is low-impedance line, like standard 50 [[Ohm (unit)|Ω]] [[coaxial cable|coax]]. |
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# The least efficient way to transmit is to feed a non-resonant antenna through a mis-matched, lossy feedline, with '''''no''''' impedance matching ''anywhere''. |
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=== ATU placement <span class="anchor" id="Connecting an ATU"></span> === |
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An ATU can be inserted anywhere along the line connecting the [[radio]] [[transmitter]] or [[receiver (radio)|receiver]] to the antenna.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Dave |last=Miller |date=1995-08-01 |title=Back to basics |magazine=[[QST Magazine]] |url=https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/9508067.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622234232/http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/9508067.pdf |archive-date=2013-06-22 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The antenna feedpoint is usually high in the air or far away,{{efn| |
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One "high in the air" antenna example would be a horizontal [[dipole antenna]]; another is a mast-mounted [[Ground plane antenna|ground-plane monopole]]. |
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: |
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A "far away" antenna example would be a ground-mounted [[monopole antenna]], placed in an open field with a clear view to the horizon and situated far away from household [[Electromagnetic interference|radio interference]]. |
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}} |
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and a long [[feedline]] must carry the signal across the long distance between the transmitter and the antenna. The tuner can be placed anywhere along the feedline – at the transmitter output, at the antenna input, or anywhere in between – and if desired, two or more matching networks can be placed at different locations between the antenna and the transmitter (usually near or at opposite ends of the feedline) and adjusted so that they co‑operatively create an impedance match throughout the antenna system. |
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Antenna matching is best done as close to the antenna feedpoint connection as possible, to increase bandwidth, and to minimize loss in the transmission line by reducing its voltage and current peaks. Ideally, a tuning circuit made from nearly quarter-wave stubs might be incorporated into the body of the antenna itself, producing at least an approximate match at the antenna feed. Also, when the information being transmitted has frequency components whose wavelength is a significant fraction of the electrical length of the feedline, distortion of the transmitted information will occur if there are standing waves on the line. Analog TV and FM stereo broadcasts are affected in this way; for those modes, matching at or very near the antenna is mandatory. |
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When possible, an automatic or remotely-controlled tuner in a weather-proof case at or near the antenna is convenient and makes for an efficient system. With such a tuner, it is possible to match a wide variety of antennas over a broad range of frequencies<ref name=SGCWorld-Guide/> (including concealed antennas).<ref name=SGCWorld-stealth/><ref name=SGCWorld-tuners/> |
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=== High-impedance feedline <span class="anchor" id="high_impedance_feed_anchor"></span> === |
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{{gallery |
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|height=150 |align=right |mode=packed |
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|Ladder line.png | Old-fashioned, high impedance "ladder line", or "open wire line"; typically 500~600 [[ohm (unit)|Ω]]. |
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|Electronics Technician - Volume 7 - Figure 3-10.jpg | Ordinary 300 [[ohm (unit)|Ω]] ''[[twin lead]]'' or two-conductor ''ribbon cable'' high impedance line. Note the plastic between the wires is only cut at the two ends. |
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}} |
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[[File:Window line 2.png|thumb|right|300px| {{center|High impedance 450 [[ohm (unit)|Ω]] "window line"; not exactly ''ladder line'' or ''[[twin-lead]]'', but sometimes called that. The rectangular hole shown in the insulation between the wires is one of the line's regularly spaced "windows".}} ]] |
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[[File:RG-59.jpg|thumb|300px| Low impedance 75 [[ohm (unit)|Ω]] [[coaxial cable]] type [[RG-59]]:<br/> |
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({{sc|A}}) Outer plastic jacket, ({{sc|B}}) Woven copper shield, ({{sc|C}}) Inner [[dielectric]] insulator, ({{sc|D}}) Copper core ]] |
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When the ATU must be located near the radio for convenient adjustment, any significant SWR will increase the loss in the feedline, unless the antenna feedpoint itself is positioned at the radio and directly connects to the back of the tuner. For that reason, when using a remote antenna with an ATU sitting at the transmitter, low-loss, high-impedance feedline is a great advantage (open-wire line, for example). |
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Through to the 1950s parallel-wire transmission lines of at least 300 Ω were more-or-less standard for all shortwave transmitters and antennas, including amateurs' equipment. Most shortwave broadcasters continue to use high-impedance feedlines,<ref name=Cavell-etal-2018/>{{rp|style=ama|at=Ch. 7.2 }}{{efn|name=No_benefit_50_ohms_note}} even after automatic impedance matching has become commonly available.{{efn|name=Balanced_line_note}} |
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High impedance lines – such as most parallel-wire lines – carry power mostly as high voltage rather than high current, and current alone determines the power lost to line resistance. So for the same number of [[Watt]]s delivered to the antenna, typically very little power is lost in high-impedance line even at severe SWR levels, when compared to losses for the same SWR in low-impedance line, like typical [[coaxial cable]]. For that reason, radio operators using high-impedance feedline can be more casual about where along the line they bother to match up the impedances. |
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A short length of coaxial line with low loss is acceptable, but with longer coaxial lines the greater losses, aggravated by SWR, become very high.<ref name=Hallas-2010-Guide><br/> |
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{{cite book |
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|last=Hallas |first=Joel R., Dr. (W1ZR) |
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|year=2010 |
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|title=The ARRL Guide to Antenna Tuners |
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|location=Newington, CT |
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|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
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|isbn=978-0-87259-098-4 |
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}} |
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</ref>{{rp|style=ama|page= 7⸗4}} |
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It is important to remember that when an ATU is placed near the transmitter and far from the antenna, even though the ATU matches the transmitter to the line there is no change in the line beyond the ATU. The backlash currents reflected from the antenna are retro-reflected by the ATU and so are invisible on the transmitter-side of the ATU. Individual wave fronts are usually reflected between the antenna and the ATU several times; the result of the multiple reflections is compounded loss, higher voltage and / or higher currents on the line and in the ATU, and narrowed bandwidth. None of these bad effects can be remediated by an ATU sitting beside the transmitter. |
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=== Loss in antenna tuners === |
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Every means of impedance match will introduce ''some'' power loss. This will vary from a few percent for a transformer with a ferrite core, to 50% or more for a complicated ATU that has been naïvely adjusted to a "bad" match, or is working near the limits of its tuning range.<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/><ref name=Hallas-2010-Guide/>{{rp|style=ama|page= 4⸗3}} <!-- ARRL uses page-number <section><dash><page> format in most of its technical publications; "4⸗3" is not a page range and "⸗" is a special unicode character chosen because it cannot be mistaken for an n-dash. --> |
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Among the narrow-band tuner circuits, the 'L' network has the lowest loss,<ref name=TenTec-1998>{{cite periodical |last=Robbins |first=Scott E. (W4PA) |orig-date=5 June 1998 |date=20 May 2007 |title='L' network ''vs''. 'T' network |periodical=Ten-Tec Reflector |publisher=Ten-Tec, Inc. |place=Sevierville, TN |url=http://www.tentecwiki.org/doku.php?id=t_vs_l |via=tentecwiki.org |access-date=2014-11-26 |df=dmy-all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415035350/http://www.tentecwiki.org/doku.php?id=t_vs_l |archive-date=2016-04-15 |quote=Scott Robbins (W4PA) is Ten-Tec's amateur radio product manager.}}</ref> partly because it has the fewest components, but mainly because it can match at just one setting, and that setting is necessarily the [[Q factor|lowest {{mvar|Q}}]] possible for a given impedance transformation.{{efn| |
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With an 'L' network, the loaded {{mvar|Q}} is not adjustable, but is fixed midway between the source and load impedances. Since most of the loss in practical tuners will be in the coil, changing from a low-pass to a high-pass circuit (or vice versa) might reduce the loss a little. |
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}} |
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In effect, any 'L' network gives its operator no option to choose a "bad" match: The only 'L' network settings that produce a match are as good as it gets with the selected network. |
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The 'L' network using only capacitors will have the lowest loss, but this network only works where the load impedance is very inductive, making it a good choice for a [[loop antenna#small loop anchor|small loop]] antenna. Inductive impedance also occurs with straight-wire antennas used at frequencies above their first [[resonant frequency|resonance]] and below the second, where the antenna is too long – for example, a [[monopole antenna|monopole]] longer than a quarter wave and shorter than half wave long at the operating frequency. One can deliberately configure the size of an antenna so that it will be inductive on all its design frequencies (similar to a [[loop antenna#small loop anchor|small loop]]) with the intention of using only capacitors to tune it, so as to have minimal tuning losses without concern for settings. Doing so requires making a straight-wire antenna a bit too long for its lowest operating frequency, but unfortunately the typical problem encountered in the lower [[high frequency|HF bands]] is that antennas are too short for the frequency in use; their matching circuits require inductance. |
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With the high-pass 'T' network, the loss in the tuner can vary from a few percent – if tuned for lowest loss – to over 50% if the tuner is adjusted to a "bad match" instead of a good one.<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/><ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014/> |
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==== Optimum match finding rules <span class="anchor" id="max-C-rule-of-thumb-anchor"></span> ==== |
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There are several simple [[rule of thumb|rules of thumb]] for finding the optimum matchpoint and avoiding the "bad" matchpoint. They are mainly intended for tuning using only an [[SWR meter]] and minimizing [[standing wave ratio]], which gives no direct indication of how "good" or "bad" the found match may be. All are based on the fact that a three-element network can simulate two different two-element 'L' networks, and the match achieved by any 'L' network is the lowest-possible loss for that network configuration<ref name=TenTec-1998/> (high-pass and low-pass 'L' networks might have different losses for matching the same antenna). However, note that losses in long cabling and the antenna's ground system often overwhelm even "bad match" tuner losses, in which case transmatch loss becomes irrelevant. |
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Each of these rules is based on using the three-element network to imitate a two-element 'L' network. Consult the rules for [[#L_netw_step_up_step_down_anchor|choosing step-up and step-down 'L' networks]], above, to determine which side of the network isn't needed. If the extraneous side is a series element, that becomes the element set to minimum reactance (minimum or zero inductance / maximum capacitance); if it is a parallel element, it is set to maximum reactance (maximum inductance / minimum capacitance). |
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'''High-pass 'T'<nowiki/>''' maximum capacitance rule: |
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As a [[rule of thumb]] only for a common high-pass 'T' match, using the maximum possible capacitance (and minimum possible inductance) for every tuner setting will involve the least loss, as compared to simply tuning for any match, without regard for the settings.<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/><ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014/> In general, this is because ''increasing'' the capacitance produces '''''less''''' [[electrical reactance|reactance]]. The usual consequence of high capacitance (low reactance) is that less counter-balancing reactance is needed from the [[inductor]]<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/> which means running current through fewer turns of wire on the inductor coil, and the loss in almost every ATU is mainly from resistance in the inductor wire (loss from dirty capacitor contacts comes in a distant second).<ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014/> |
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In the high-pass 'T' circuit, setting either the left or right capacitor to its maximum causes it to have almost no reactance, and it almost vanishes from the circuit, leaving the remaining capacitor and inductor to approximate an 'L' network. The only impedance match possible for the (almost) 'L' network consisting of the two remaining components will be (approximately) optimal – that is, will have the lowest current possible through the inductor, hence lowest loss inside the network. |
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'''Low-pass 'T'<nowiki/>''' minimum ''inductance'' rule: |
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Similar reasoning applies to a low-pass 'T' match: Setting the left or right inductor to its ''minimum'' value will make it (almost) vanish from the circuit and leave the remaining inductor and the capacitor to form an 'L' match, whose only match setting is minimum loss. |
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'''Low-pass '𝝅'<nowiki/>''' ''minimum'' capacitance rule: |
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For a '{{math|{{big|π}}}}' match a different rule applies – a seemingly contrary ''minimum capacitance rule'' – but the reasoning for it is the same: Set the unneeded left or right capacitor to its ''minimum'' capacitance value (maximum reactance), the other capacitor to its maximum value (minimum reactance); the inductor is set very low or moderately low. The minimized capacitor with its maximum possible reactance will obstruct current from flowing through it, and so the bottomed-out capacitor will (almost) drop out of the matching network (almost become a broken circuit {{math|≈}} no connection). Tuning is with the remaining capacitor; it and the central inductor (almost) form an 'L' match, whose only match is optimal (lowest inductance / lowest loss). The search begins with the matching capacitor set at maximum (minimum reactance) and so tends to be reduced, gradually, with the inductor raised or lowered to match; so the first matching inductance encountered will tend to be the lowest inductance / lowest loss possible. |
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'''''Caveat operator''''' : |
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The radio operator needs to keep a sensible perspective on the limits to whether optimizing a matching network is worthwhile: Matching losses are typically low, and if losses in the feedline beyond the feedline coupler are high, achieving lowest losses in the transmatch will be irrelevant – 'only one drip in a bucket'. Cable losses beyond any kind of matching network always remain unimproved, regardless of whether the match settings are good or bad. The only cure for lossy cable is to place the tuner immediately next to the antenna feedpoint, and run any long segments of cabling between the tuner and the transmitter: |
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:: ''transmitter'' → cable → '''tuner''' → ''antenna''. |
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In those cases where a tuner is actually needed, the more common |
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:: ''transmitter'' → '''tuner''' → cable → ''antenna'' |
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configuration will have high losses which cannot be reduced by ''any'' tuner in that same location, and the high cable losses will make it a mostly futile exercise to strive for efficiency in the tuner, instead of efficiency in the cable. |
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==== Recognizing "bad" matches ==== |
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Every matching network with three reactive components, given fixed settings for the first two components, almost always has two distinct settings (or no settings at all!) for the third component that both achieve a match.{{efn| |
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Which components are considered "first", "second", or "third" is arbitrary. The qualitative behavior of the three matching network components is the same, regardless of the order in which one chooses to label them. |
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: |
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Not all possible settings of any pair of components allow for the remaining third setting to bridge every impedance presented at the matching network antenna-side connection,{{efn|name=Only_if_reactances_adequate_note}} and the rule "two distinct settings for the third given the first two" is only true for cases where a match is ''actually possible'' with the installed parts. Further, on the brink of there being ''no'' match at all, either one of the components will reach its maximum or minimum possible setting ("peg out"), or the two distinct settings will merge into only one possible setting for the designated "third" component; beyond those two settings for the first two components at that point, there will be zero impedance match solutions for the third. |
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: |
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If there is a fourth setting, there will likely be a continuum of settings for the "third" and "fourth" that make a match, although the "third" and "fourth"'s settings will be limited by the settings for the "first" and "second". |
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}}{{efn| |
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For any tuner which has a ''band switch'' – a third or fourth switch that is marked with a frequency range – one need not strictly conform to the marked frequencies, but typically the manufacturer will have chosen the switch's settings to preclude as far as possible any "bad" choices for the other (two) settings. So depending on the reliability of the manufacturer (some are incompetent or careless or both, and merely reproduce copies of designs they neither understand nor have adequately tested) any match setting that has the band switch set to a frequency contrary to its markings is likely to be "bad" and should be treated as suspect, only ever used with extreme care, hence tested extensively if used at all. |
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}} |
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Typically, one setting results in higher loss than the other, and sometimes the difference is large enough to be important; usually, but not necessarily, the setting that needs the highest inductance is the "bad" match (highest loss), and that is what the [[#max-C-rule-of-thumb-anchor|"maximum capacitance rule", above]], seeks to avoid. However, it is sometimes possible for a lower-inductance setting to create an internal-only [[electrical resonance|resonance]] that winds up circulating more current through the resonating coil. The resonant circulation through the coil could be enough more to cause higher loss at the lower inductance. In that case, the [[#max-C-rule-of-thumb-anchor|above rule of thumb]] does not give good guidance. |
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; Infallible guide : |
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<span class="anchor" id=infallible_guide_anchor></span>The infallible guide is to ''"try it and see, measure it, and record it"''. For any one combination of antenna and transmatch, once a table of both optimum settings and their "evil twin" [[wikt:infimum|infimum (worst)]] matched settings have been found by scanning the possible settings, the table can be used as a guide for quickly finding a good setting in between frequencies with known-good match settings: The optimum settings for the new frequency will lie between the settings for the two optimal matches previously found at an adjacent higher and adjacent lower frequency in the same band, with very rare exceptions where the settings "jump".{{efn| |
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Typical tuners have a band switch – a third or fourth switch that is marked with a frequency range, often one that selects a bank of different components. It is quite normal for "good" and "bad" settings for the other switches or tuning knobs, to show a large or small jump on a tuning chart whenever the band switch changes. |
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: |
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A typical occasion where matching network settings "jump" is when the two adjacent frequencies are on either side of an even-numbered [[Harmonics (electrical power)|harmonic]] of an end-fed [[monopole antenna]] or center-fed [[dipole antenna|dipole]], that has very low [[radiation resistance|resistance]] / high [[Q factor|{{mvar|Q}}]]. |
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: |
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A broadband antenna is another example: Matching network setting jumps often happen during changes in frequency on elaborate multi-band composite designs, especially on the proportionally wider bands, such as [[80-meter band|80 meters]]. Such antennas are normally a combination of multiple separate segments, each intended to serve on one frequency band or sub-band, and perhaps some of its harmonics. When a change in frequency causes a previously near-resonant section of the antenna to start loosing resonance – becoming reactive – it will begin to reject the signal power fed to the antenna. Ideally, some other segment of the antenna will start to become resonant (zero reactance) near the new frequency and replace the now-reactive element. |
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: |
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Typically the newly resonating section will have had a high reactance at the prior frequencies, which made it reject power fed to the antenna and hence be mostly uninvolved with the injected signal and had little or no effect on the matching unit's settings. Assuming the antenna is so-designed, as the new segment begins to resonate it will loose reactance and begin to accept signal power. When such a change-over happens, there will very likely be a corresponding jump in the optimal (and infimal) settings at some intermediate frequency where the old and new antenna sections are both active. (Of course, this kind of cross-over behavior also depends on where the antenna is put up: Not just the individual antenna design, but also on the antenna's interaction with the ground and surrounding conducting objects.) |
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: |
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These are just a few examples: There are likely other situations for which the component settings that produce an impedance match change abruptly. |
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}} |
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Likewise the worst possible matched settings will lie between the corresponding [[wikt:infimum|infimal]] settings for the bracketing frequencies, which indicate a "zone of avoidance" – settings to not use. Hence matching unit operators can recognize that they've accidentally found a "bad" match instead of "good" match, when its settings fall in between the [[wikt:infimum|infimal]] settings for the higher and lower bracketing frequencies. |
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A table of previous optimal settings can be used as close starting points for a search at a bracketed new frequency. Where the entries are spaced close enough in frequency, the table will give a start that's near enough that the new optimum setting can be reached merely by seeking the lowest reading on an [[SWR meter]], even though the SWR meter cannot show only losses in the matching network. |
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; Loss measurement : |
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For the ''"measure it"'' part that creates or extends a table of optimum settings in the first place, an SWR meter will not work, since it does not directly show loss, and can not indirectly suggest just the losses in the transmatch. However, with a few hookup changes, the matching network's losses can easily be found with an [[antenna analyzer]] or [[LCR meter#bridge circuit anchor|impedance bridge]].<ref name=Witt-2003-09/> Essentially, one places a 50 Ω dummy load on the transmatch's radio-side connection, that replaces the radio, and places an [[antenna analyzer]] or [[impedance bridge]] at the feedline connection. After compensation for the impedance conversion ratio, the amount of resistance in excess the converted 50 Ω dummy load is loss in the matching unit. The procedure is most convenient when the change in connections on each side of the tuner are both managed by an A/B switch (which hopefully also prevents the transmitter from "smoking" the antenna analyzer). Details of the test procedure and formulas for the transform compensation are given by {{harvp|Witt|2003}}. |
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A low-tech approach to gauge ATU losses is to power-off the transmitter, soon after transmitting, and place one's hand directly on the coil (after first discharging the coil to the matchbox chassis). If it feels too hot to touch or too warm to comfortably hold, then the coil losses are high and the setting is "bad"; if the coil feels cool or just mildly warm then there is no significant loss, either because of a "good" match or because the earlier transmit power was too low to noticeably heat the coil.{{efn| |
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name=corona_discharge_note| |
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[[File:Коронный разряд.jpg|thumb|150px| [[Corona discharge]] around an [[loading coil|antenna coil]] ]] Although "sparking" is a bad sign, it is not related to transmitting high power through a bad match. Perversely, the higher voltages that occur with the higher [[Q factor|{{mvar|Q}}]] typical of a good match are more likely to have sparking, whereas a "bad" match would have low {{mvar|Q}} that would tend to suppress sparks. |
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: |
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If one smells [[ozone]], or sees [[corona discharge]] or sparks anywhere inside the matching network chassis, or later notices burn marks on air capacitor edges, the situation is bad, but the bad indications are not signs of high loss ''per se'', even though that will surely be a side-effect. Sparks or corona inside an ATU are '''''dire''''' warnings that at the frequency where the [[corona discharge|corona]] or sparking occurred, the matching unit and antenna system combination was [[overcurrent|overloaded]] with power that was ''way'' too high. |
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}} |
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; Typical problems : |
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One of the causes for high loss in tuning circuits<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/><ref name=Hallas-2010-Guide/> arises when the settings produce a path for an internal resonance among the components that lies entirely inside the matching network itself, without circulating through the antenna: Multiple internal passes through the tuning coil will compound its normal losses, just like multiple passes through a mismatched feedline can. When the configured path does not route most of the current through the antenna, then that portion of the current that only flows in the coil and ''not'' in the antenna will only deliver power as heat inside the transmatch chassis, not radio waves out of the antenna. Situations like this seem to happen most often when near-resonance in a [[RLC circuit#parallel circuit anchor|capacitor-inductor combination]] is used to raise transmit voltage for a ''much'' higher impedance on the antenna side (seemingly a rare situation when feeding the antenna through low impedance cable). |
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At some point near the extreme possible settings for any one of the installed components, the possible match settings for the system will be curtailed, and the best match may be the first to drop out (require an impossibly high or low setting{{efn|name=Only_if_reactances_adequate_note}}). If the configuration of component settings with the least loss is not feasible with the installed components, and the loss for the achievable setting is ''appreciably'' worse, then despite still being able to find a match for the impedance, the only match the ATU is able to provide is "bad". A simple clue that the matching network has reached or is near the point where its settings are dropping out, is when an available configuration has one of the setting knobs "pegged out", or nearly so, and adjusting away from the pegged or extreme setting only makes the match worse – that is, any alternative to the pegged match or near-match cannot be improved by a slight adjustment of the other components' settings. |
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=== Sacrificing efficiency in exchange for harmonic suppression === |
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If additional filtering is desired, the inductor in any of the three-element designs can be deliberately set to slightly larger values than the minimum necessary, raising the [[Q factor|circuit {{mvar|Q}}]] and so provide at least a partial [[band-pass filter|band-pass]] effect in the high-pass and low-pass networks. |
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Ordinary harmonics are always above the operating frequency, and all low-pass matching networks block higher frequencies at ''any'' matched setting, including the lowest-loss setting; low-pass '<big>{{math|π}}</big>', low-pass 'T', and low-pass 'L' networks always attenuate harmonics well. |
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High-pass 'L' and optimally configured high-pass 'T' networks will not block harmonics, however the high-pass 'T' can be adjusted to have a slight band-pass effect if its inductance is set above its minimum: The additional attenuation at harmonic frequencies can be increased significantly with only a small percentage of additional loss at the tuned frequency.<ref name=Stanley-2015-09-QST/><ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST/> The 'T' match's obtainable rejection factor of 99% (20 [[decibel|dB]])<ref name=Stanley-2015-09-QST/> may be enough harmonic reduction, if the small additional loss is acceptable. |
|||
Although they always block harmonics, the low-pass '<big>{{math|π}}</big>' and low-pass 'T' networks can also be adjusted for excess inductance / higher {{mvar|Q}} similar to the high-pass 'T' to achieve a partial bandpass, perhaps to reduce interference coming from ''below'' the operating frequency. |
|||
The SPC tuner is a [[band-pass filter|band-pass]] circuit, so it always blocks out-of-band signals, both above and below, but it can be made to have an especially narrow pass-band when adjusted for similarly higher-than-necessary inductance, perhaps to "quiet" nearby interference on a noisy band. At any match setting, an SPC tuner will always have much better harmonic rejection than a high-pass 'T', even when the 'T' network is adjusted for modest blocking on higher-frequencies.<ref name=Stanley-2015-09-QST/> |
|||
=== Standing wave ratio <span class="anchor" id="ATU and SWR"></span> === |
|||
[[File:MFJ tuner.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=Backlit cross-needle SWR meter|Cross-needle SWR meter on an antenna tuner]] |
|||
It is a common misconception that a high [[standing wave ratio]] (SWR) ''per se'' causes loss, or that an antenna must be resonant in order to transmit well; neither is true.<ref name=W2DU_Reflections/><ref name=Moore-2014/><ref name=ARRL-AntBk-1988/> |
|||
A well-adjusted ATU feeding an antenna through a low-loss line may have only a small percentage of additional loss compared with an intrinsically matched antenna, even with a high SWR (4:1, for example).<ref name=ARRL-AntBk-1988><br/>{{cite book |editor1-last=Hall |editor1-first=Jerry |display-editors=etal |year=1988 |title=ARRL Antenna Book |page=25⸗18 ff |location=Newington, CT |publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |isbn=978-0-87259-206-3 }}</ref> An ATU sitting beside the transmitter just re-reflects energy reflected from the antenna ("backlash current") back yet again to the antenna ("retro-reflection") along the low-loss feedline; the portion of the reflected and retro-reflected waves that survive the losses do eventually radiate out.<ref name=W2DU_Reflections/> |
|||
High losses are caused by resistance in the feedline, and the [[near and far field|close by]] soil below the antenna, and the metal in the antenna – especially where the current flows through corroded parts. Multiple reflections due to high SWR cause all these losses to be compounded. However, the total of the losses for multiple passes greatly depends on the size of the single-pass loss resistance, relative to the antenna's [[radiation resistance]]. Using a good [[ground plane#radio GP anchor|ground system]] and low-loss, high-impedance feedline results in very little loss, even with multiple reflections, because even a low radiation resistance in the antenna can out-compete line and ground resistances, if those have been made ''very'' low. |
|||
On the other hand, if the combination of feedline and ground-system is "lossy", like coaxial line,{{efn|name=No_benefit_50_ohms_note}} and / or merely a [[Earth electrode|ground rod]] for earthing, then an identical high SWR may waste a considerable fraction of the transmitter's power output heating up the coax and warming the soil. In comparison, parallel-wire, high impedance line typically has extremely low loss, even when SWR is high. For that reason, radio operators using high-impedance line with an extensive [[ground plane#radio GP anchor|ground system]] can be more relaxed about use of matching units and where they are placed on the feedline. |
|||
==== The ''real'' problem with high SWR<span class="anchor" id="power_loss_anchor"></span> ==== |
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With no matchbox (tuner), the SWR from a mismatched antenna and feedline can present an improper load to the transmitter, causing distortion and loss of power or efficiency with heating and / or burning components in the output stage. Modern solid state transmitters are designed to automatically protect themselves by reducing power when confronted with backlash current. Consequently, all modern solid-state power stages are designed to only produce faint signals when the SWR rises above some cutoff level, often set at {{nobr| 1.5 : 1 .}}{{efn|name=output_amp_bears_brunt}} This '''{{mvar|output stage}} {{mvar|power cutback}} {{mvar|is the main}} {{mvar|reason for weak}} {{mvar|transmission}}''' at high SWR, not the lesser losses from rejection of mismatched feed power, or heating up parts of the antenna and feedline system. |
|||
Were it not for the problem created by the design conflict between circuit safety and delivered transmit power, even the marginal losses from an SWR of 2:1 might otherwise be tolerated, since only 11 percent of transmitted power would be reflected and 89 percent sent through to the antenna (a loss of only {{nobr|{{small| {{sfrac|1| 2 }} }} [[decibel|dB]]).}} So the main loss of power at high SWR is due to the output amplifier backing down its power output as a "flinch" response to being hit by backlash current. |
|||
[[Vacuum tube]]-based transmitters and amplifiers usually have an adjustable output network (a [[#pi_network_anchor|'{{big|{{math|π}}}}' network]]) that can feed mismatched loads up to perhaps 3:1 SWR without trouble. For all practical purposes, the [[#pi_network_anchor|'<big>{{math|π}}</big>' network]] in the output stage is a built-in transmatch. Further, despite being mechanically fragile, [[vacuum tube|tubes]] are electrically rugged, and as long as the line voltage stays moderate they can shrug off very high backlash current with impunity. So tube-based output stage amplifiers benefit from "backing down" their output power only in response to very high backlash voltage, and their self-protection circuitry (if any) can be safely configured to tolerate much worse SWR than [[solid-state electronics|solid-state]] amplifiers. So when feeding an antenna through high impedance lines, tube-based amplifier stages can transmit well with much less need for feedline matching by a tuner. |
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== Broadcast applications <span class="anchor" id="Applications of ATU"></span> == |
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=== AM broadcast transmitters === |
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[[File:Antenna Tuning Unit, 250 KW AM station, 6 tower array.jpg|thumb|350px|right|{{center|Inside the coupling hut of a 250 KW, AM station with 6 antenna towers}}]] |
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One of the oldest applications for antenna tuners is in [[mediumwave]] and [[shortwave]] [[AM broadcasting|AM broadcast]] transmitters. Typical [[mediumwave|AM band]] transmitters use [[mast radiator|vertical tower antennas]], usually between {{sfrac| 1 | 5 }} and {{sfrac| 5 | 8 }} wavelengths tall.<ref name=Ballantine-1924> |
|||
{{cite journal |
|||
| last = Ballantine | first = Stuart | author-link = Stuart Ballantine |
|||
| date = December 1924 |
|||
| title = On the optimum transmitting wave length for a vertical antenna over perfect earth |
|||
| journal = [[Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers]] |
|||
| volume = 12 | issue = 6 | pages = esp. 823–839 |
|||
| publisher = Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers |
|||
| doi = 10.1109/JRPROC.1924.220011 | s2cid = 51639724 |
|||
}} |
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</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 823–839}} |
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An ATU housed in the "[[Antenna tuning hut|coupling hut]]" at the base of the tower<ref>{{cite news |title=Storm silences radio |date=30 September 1949 |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |location=Sydney, NSW, Australia |page=3 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230933407 |access-date=27 September 2019 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> is used to match the antenna to the transmission line from the transmitter. The most commonly used circuit is a [[#low_pass_T_anchor|low-pass 'T' network]].<ref name=Johnson-Jasik-1984/> |
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When multiple towers are used, the matching network may also need to provide for a phase adjustment, to advance or delay the current to each tower, relative to the others; done properly, phasing can aim the combined signal in a desired direction, and more particularly ''away'' from territory allotted to another station.{{efn| |
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[[AM broadcasting|AM stations]] are often required by the terms of their operating licenses to prevent signals in directions that would interfere with other stations' broadcasts. The transmitting station also benefits from more of the station's signal power (its electrical bill being an [[operating cost]]) going into its assigned target area, on which its [[advertising revenue]] is based. |
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: |
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Adjustment of the ATUs in a [[array antenna|multitower array]] is a complicated, time-consuming process, requiring considerable expertise and advanced measuring equipment. |
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}} |
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===High-power shortwave transmitters <span class="anchor" id="Sample application: multiband shortwave transmitter"></span> === |
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High-power (50 kW and above) international [[List of shortwave radio broadcasters|shortwave broadcast stations]] change frequencies seasonally – even daily – to adapt to [[skywave|ionospheric propagation]] conditions, so their signals can best reach their intended audience.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC frequencies and sites in English, currently on-air |website=Short-Wave |url=https://www.short-wave.info/}}</ref> Frequent transmitting frequency changes require frequent adjustment of antenna matching, but modern broadcast transmitters typically include built-in automatic impedance-matching circuitry that can accommodate modest impedance changes. Similar circuitry is also becoming increasingly common in amateur transmitters. |
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Modern internal ATU circuits typically can self-adjust to a new frequency or new output impedance within 15 seconds, for SWR up to 2:1 (at least).<ref name=Cavell-etal-2018/>{{rp|style=ama|at=Ch. 7.2 }} |
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The matching networks in transmitters sometimes incorporate a balun or an external one can be installed at the transmitter in order to feed a balanced line. |
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The most commonly used shortwave antennas for international broadcasting are the [[HRS antenna]] (curtain array), which covers a 2:1 frequency range, and the [[log-periodic antenna]], which can cover up to an 8:1 frequency range.<ref>{{cite web |title=TCI model 530 short range log-periodic antenna |date=2001-09-05 |type=spec sheet |id=530-200301 |publisher=TCI |location=Fremont, California |website=IC72 |url=http://www.ic72.com/pdf_file/5/513798.pdf |quote=The TCI model 530 log-periodic antenna is designed specifically to support sky-wave communications at short (0–500 km) ranges.}}</ref> Within the design range, the antenna SWR will vary, but these designs usually keep the SWR below {{nobr|1.7 : 1 ,}} which is easily within the range of SWR that can be tuned by built-in automatic antenna matching in many modern transmitters. So when feeding well-chosen antennas, a modern transmitter will be able to adjust itself as needed to match to the antenna at any frequency. |
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==Automatic antenna tuners== |
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Automatic antenna tuning is used in flagship mobile phones, transceivers for [[amateur radio]], and in land mobile, marine, and tactical HF radio transceivers. |
Automatic antenna tuning is used in flagship mobile phones, transceivers for [[amateur radio]], and in land mobile, marine, and tactical HF radio transceivers. |
||
Line 886: | Line 183: | ||
The TX port of the TSPU delivers a test signal. The SU delivers, to the TSPU, one or more output signals indicating the response to the test signal, one or more electrical variables (such as voltage, current, incident or forward voltage, etc.). The response sensed at the ''radio port'' in the case of configuration (a) or at the ''antenna port'' in the case of configuration (b). Note that neither configuration (a) nor (b) is ideal, since the line between the antenna and the AT attenuates SWR; response to a test signal is most accurately tested at or near the antenna feedpoint. |
The TX port of the TSPU delivers a test signal. The SU delivers, to the TSPU, one or more output signals indicating the response to the test signal, one or more electrical variables (such as voltage, current, incident or forward voltage, etc.). The response sensed at the ''radio port'' in the case of configuration (a) or at the ''antenna port'' in the case of configuration (b). Note that neither configuration (a) nor (b) is ideal, since the line between the antenna and the AT attenuates SWR; response to a test signal is most accurately tested at or near the antenna feedpoint. |
||
:{| style="text-align:center;" |
:{| style="text-align:center;" class="wikitable" |
||
|+ '''{{big|Control scheme types}}'''<ref name=Broydé-Clavelier-2020/> |
|+ '''{{big|Control scheme types}}'''<ref name="Broydé-Clavelier-2020"/> |
||
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;" |
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;" |
||
! Control |
! Control scheme !! Configur{{shy}}ation !! Extremum-seeking? |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Type 0 || |
| Type 0 || n/a || n/a |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Type 1 || (a) || No |
| Type 1 || (a) || No |
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Line 902: | Line 199: | ||
|} |
|} |
||
Broydé & Clavelier (2020) distinguish five types of antenna tuner control schemes, as follows:<ref name=Broydé-Clavelier-2020> |
Broydé & Clavelier (2020) distinguish five types of antenna tuner control schemes, as follows:<ref name="Broydé-Clavelier-2020"> |
||
{{cite journal |
{{cite journal |
||
|last1=Broydé |first1=F. |
|last1=Broydé |first1=F. |
||
Line 929: | Line 226: | ||
* accuracy and speed |
* accuracy and speed |
||
* dependence on use of a particular model of AT or CU |
* dependence on use of a particular model of AT or CU |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
* [[American Radio Relay League]] |
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{{div col begin |colwidth=12em}} |
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* [[ |
* [[Electrical lengthening]] |
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* [[Coaxial cable]] |
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* [[Electrical length]] |
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* [[Ladder topology|Electronic filter topology]] |
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* [[Impedance bridging]] |
* [[Impedance bridging]] |
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* [[Loading coil]] |
* [[Loading coil]] |
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* [[Preselector]] |
* [[Preselector]] |
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* [[Smith chart]] |
* [[Smith chart]] |
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* [[Twin-lead]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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==Footnotes== |
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{{notelist|100%}} |
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{{clear}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist}} |
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{{reflist|25em|refs= |
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<ref name=Annecke-c1970> |
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{{cite report |
|||
|first=Alfred |last=Annecke |
|||
|date=c. 1970 |
|||
|title=Betriebsanleitung für den Symmetrischen Antennen-Koppler der Kilowatt-Serie |lang=de |
|||
|trans-title=Instruction manual for the ''Kilowatt'' series symmetrical antenna coupler |
|||
|id={{nobr|DJ 6 00}} |type=product manual |
|||
|place=Heilbronn, DE |
|||
|publisher=Annecke HF - Techn. Bauelemente |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=ARRL-Hdbk-2014> |
|||
<br/> |
|||
{{cite book |
|||
|editor-last=Silver |editor-first=H. Ward |
|||
|display-editors=etal |
|||
|date=2014-10-08 |df=dmy-all |
|||
|title=The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications |edition=92nd |
|||
|page=20⸗16 <!-- ARRL uses [section][dash][page] numbering in most of its technical publications; "20⸗16" is not a page range, and "⸗" is a special unicode character, not a hyphen, chosen because it can't be mistaken for an n-dash. --> |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
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|isbn=978-1-62595-019-2 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Belrose-1984-01-QST> |
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<br/> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Belrose |first=John (VE2CV) |
|||
|date=January 1984 |
|||
|title=Balanced antenna matching |
|||
|department=Technical correspondence |
|||
|magazine=[[QST Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
|||
|issn=0033-4812 |oclc=1623841 |
|||
|page=48 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Belrose-2004-10-QST> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Belrose |first=John S. (VE2CV) |
|||
|date=October 2004 |
|||
|title=Quest for an ideal antenna tuner |
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|magazine=[[QST Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
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|pages=35–39, esp. pp. 36–37 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Cavell-etal-2018> |
|||
<br/> |
|||
{{cite book |
|||
|editor=Cavell, Garrison C. |
|||
|display-editors=etal |
|||
|year=2018 |
|||
|title=National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Handbook |edition=11th |
|||
|publisher=[[National Association of Broadcasters]] / Focal Press |
|||
|isbn=978-1-138-93051-3 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
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<ref name=deMaw1984> |
|||
<br/> |
|||
{{cite book |
|||
|last=de Maw |first=Doug (W1FB) |
|||
|year=1985 |
|||
|section=Transmatch for balanced or unbalanced lines |
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|editor1=Hutchinson, Charles L. |
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|display-editors=etal |
|||
|title=The ARRL Handbook for the Radio Amateur |edition=62nd |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
|||
|issn=0890-3565 |oclc=664201661 |isbn=978-0-8725-9162-2 |
|||
|at=Chapter 34, pp 34⸗12–34⸗15, Fig. 26 <!-- ARRL uses [section][dash][page] numbering in most of its technical publications; "34⸗15" is itself a page – not a page range – and "⸗" is a special unicode character, not a hyphen, chosen because it can't be mistaken for an n-dash. --> |
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|url=https://archive.org/details/arrlhandbookforr0000unse_w7j4 |
|||
|section-url=https://archive.org/details/arrlhandbookfort00amer/page/828/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=Transmatch |
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|url-access=registration |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Griffith-1995-01-QST> |
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<br/> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Griffith |first=Andrew S. (W4ULD) |
|||
|date=January 1995 |
|||
|title=Getting the most out of your T‑network antenna tuner |
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|magazine=[[QST|QST Magazine]] |
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|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
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|issn=0033-4812 |oclc=1623841 |
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|pages=44–47 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Johnson-Jasik-1984> |
|||
{{cite book |
|||
|editor1=Johnson, R.C. |
|||
|editor2=Jasik, H. |
|||
|display-editors=etal |
|||
|orig-date=1961 |year=1984 |
|||
|title=Antenna Engineering Handbook |edition=2nd |
|||
|place=New York, NY |
|||
|publisher=McGraw-Hill |
|||
|lccn=59-14455 |isbn=0-07-032291-0 |
|||
|at=§43.2 pp 43⸗5 – 43⸗9 <!-- ''Antenna Engineering Handbook'' uses [section][dash][page] numbering; "43⸗5" is not a page range, and "⸗" is a special unicode character, not a hyphen, chosen because it can't be mistaken for an n-dash. --> |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Maxwell-1981-08> |
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<br/> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Maxwell |first=Walter M. (W2DU) |
|||
|date=August 1981 |
|||
|title=The Ultimate vs. the SPC transmatch |
|||
|magazine=[[QST|QST Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
|||
|pages=42–43 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=McCoy-1970-07> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=McCoy |first=Lewis G. (W1ICP) |
|||
|date=July 1970 |
|||
|title=Ultimate transmatch |
|||
|magazine=[[QST|QST Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
|||
|pages=24–27, 58 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Maxwell-2010> |
|||
{{cite web |
|||
|last=Maxwell |first=Walter (W2DU) |
|||
|date=2010-05-11 |
|||
|title=Examining the "Johnson Matchbox" ATU |
|||
|website=AMfone |
|||
|url=http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=24088.0 |
|||
|access-date=2014-12-15 |df=dmy-all |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Rauch-JMB> |
|||
{{cite web |
|||
|last=Rauch |first=Charles T. Jr. (W8JI) |
|||
|date=n.d. |
|||
|title=E.F. Johnson Matchbox |
|||
|website=W8JI |
|||
|url=http://www.w8ji.com/antenna_tuners.htm |
|||
|access-date=2014-12-25 |df=dmy-all |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Schmidt-1997-1998> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Schmidt |first=Kevin (W9CF) |
|||
|publication-date=July 1997 |date=17 November 1998 |
|||
|title=Estimating T network losses at 80 and 160 meters |
|||
|magazine=[[QEX|QEX Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League|ARRL]] |
|||
|url=http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/tuner.pdf |
|||
|via=fermi.la.asu.edu ([[Arizona State University]], Tempe, AZ) |
|||
|access-date=2023-01-25 |
|||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204133806/http://fermi.la.asu.edu/w9cf/articles/tuner.pdf |
|||
|archive-date=2021-02-04 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=SGCWorld-Guide> |
|||
{{cite report |
|||
|title=HF Users' Guide |
|||
|type=guidebook |
|||
|website=SGC World (sgcworld.com) |
|||
|url=https://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Books/hfguidebook.pdf |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=SGCWorld-stealth> |
|||
{{cite web |
|||
|title=Stealth Kit |
|||
|type=product manual |
|||
|website=SGC World (sgcworld.com) |
|||
|url=https://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Manuals/stealthman.pdf |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=SGCWorld-tuners> |
|||
{{cite web |
|||
|title=Smart tuners for stealth antennas |
|||
|type=products brochure |
|||
|website=SGC World (sgcworld.com) |
|||
|url=https://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Books/stealthbook.pdf |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Stanley-2015-09-QST> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Stanley |first=J. |
|||
|date=2015-09-01 |df=dmy-all |
|||
|title=Antenna tuners as preselectors |
|||
|department=Technical correspondence |
|||
|magazine=[[QST|QST Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
|||
|issn=0033-4812 |oclc=1623841 |
|||
|page=61 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Westerman-Viking-Annecke> |
|||
{{cite web |
|||
|last=Westerman |first=Richard M. (DJ0IP) |
|||
|date=c. 2000 |
|||
|title=Viking vs. Annecke |
|||
|website=DJ0IP |
|||
|url=http://dj0ip.de/antenna-matchboxes/symmetrical-matchboxes/viking-vs-annecke/ |
|||
|access-date=2022-05-28 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Westerman-Viking-upgrade> |
|||
{{cite web |
|||
|first=Richard M. (DJ0IP) |last=Westerman |
|||
|date=c. 2000 |
|||
|title=Viking upgrade |
|||
|url=http://dj0ip.de/antenna-matchboxes/symmetrical-matchboxes/j-viking-upgrade |
|||
|website=DJ0IP |
|||
|access-date=2022-05-28 |
|||
}} |
|||
</ref> |
|||
<ref name=Witt-2003-09> |
|||
{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Witt |first=Frank (AI1H) |
|||
|date=Sep–Oct 2003 |
|||
|title=Evaluation of antenna tuners and baluns – an update |
|||
|magazine=[[QEX|QEX Magazine]] |
|||
|place=Newington, CT |
|||
|publisher=[[American Radio Relay League]] |
|||
|issn=0886-8093 |
|||
|pages=3–14 |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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<ref name=Zhang-Che-etal-2018> |
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{{cite journal |
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|author1=Zhang, T. |author2=Che, W. |
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|author3=Chen, H. |author4=Xue, Q. |
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|date=November 2018 |
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|title=Reconfigurable impedance matching networks with controllable phase shift |
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|journal=IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs |
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|volume=65 |issue=11 |pages=1514–1518 |
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|doi=10.1109/TCSII.2017.2754440 |s2cid=53099821 |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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}} <!-- end "refs=" --> |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
||
*{{cite book |last=Wright |first=H. C. |date=1987 |title=An Introduction to Antenna Theory (BP198) |location=London |publisher=Bernard Babani}} |
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{{div col begin|colwidth=25em|small=yes}} |
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*{{cite book |author=Radio Society of Great Britain |date=1976 |title=The Radio Communication Handbook |edition=5th |location=Bedford, UK |publisher=RSGB |isbn=0-900612-58-4}} |
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*{{cite journal |last=Rohde |first=Ulrich L. |date=1974 |title=Die Anpassung von kurzen Stabantennen für KW-Sender |language=de |trans-title=Matching of short rod-antennas for short-wave transmitters |journal=Funkschau |issue=7}} |
|||
*{{cite book |
|||
*{{cite journal |last=Rohde |first=Ulrich L. |date=13 September 1975 |title=Match any antenna over the 1.5 to 30 MHz range with only two adjustable elements |journal=Electronic Design |volume=19}} |
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|year=1976 |
|||
|title=The Radio Communication Handbook |
|||
|edition=5th |
|||
|location=Bedford, UK |
|||
|publisher=[[Radio Society of Great Britain]] |
|||
|isbn=0-900612-58-4 |
|||
}} |
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*{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Rohde |first=Ulrich L. |
|||
|year=1974 |
|||
|title=Die Anpassung von kurzen Stabantennen für KW-Sender |lang=de |
|||
|trans-title=Matching of short rod-antennas for shortwave transmitters |
|||
|magazine=Funkschau |
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|issue=7 |
|||
}} |
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*{{cite magazine |
|||
|last=Rohde |first=Ulrich L. |
|||
|date=13 September 1975 |
|||
|title=Match any antenna over the 1.5 to 30 MHz range with only two adjustable elements |
|||
|magazine=[[Electronic Design (magazine)|Electronic Design]] |
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|volume=19 |
|||
}} |
|||
*{{cite book |
|||
|last=Wright |first=H. C. |
|||
|year=1987 |
|||
|title=An Introduction to Antenna Theory |
|||
|id=BP198 |
|||
|place=London, UK |
|||
|publisher=Bernard Babani |
|||
}} |
|||
{{div col end}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
||
* |
*[http://www.arrl.org American Radio Relay League website.] |
||
* |
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibAIDNcPKh8 What tuners do and a look inside.] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Antenna Tuner}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antenna Tuner}} |
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[[Category:Antennas (radio)| |
[[Category:Antennas (radio)|Tuner]] |
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[[Category:Radio technology]] |
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[[Category:Wireless tuning and filtering]] |
[[Category:Wireless tuning and filtering]] |
Latest revision as of 17:57, 14 December 2024
Part of a series on |
Antennas |
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An antenna tuner, a matchbox, transmatch, antenna tuning unit (ATU), antenna coupler, or feedline coupler is a device connected between a radio transmitter or receiver and its antenna to improve power transfer between them by matching the impedance of the radio to the antenna's feedline. Antenna tuners are particularly important for use with transmitters. Transmitters feed power into a resistive load, very often 50 ohms, for which the transmitter is optimally designed for power output, efficiency, and low distortion.[1] If the load seen by the transmitter departs from this design value due to improper tuning of the antenna/feedline combination the power output will change, distortion may occur and the transmitter may overheat.
ATUs are a standard part of almost all radio transmitters; they may be a circuit included inside the transmitter itself or a separate piece of equipment connected between the transmitter and the antenna. In transmitters in which the antenna is mounted separate from the transmitter and connected to it by a transmission line (feedline), there may be a second ATU (or matching network) at the antenna to match the impedance of the antenna to the transmission line. In low power transmitters with attached antennas, such as cell phones and walkie-talkies, the ATU is fixed to work with the antenna. In high power transmitters like radio stations, the ATU is adjustable to accommodate changes in the antenna or transmitter, and adjusting the ATU to match the transmitter to the antenna is an important procedure done after any changes to these components have been made. This adjustment is done with an instrument called a SWR meter.
In radio receivers ATUs are not so important, because in the low frequency part of the radio spectrum the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is dominated by atmospheric noise. It does not matter if the impedance of the antenna and receiver are mismatched so some of the incoming power from the antenna is reflected and does not reach the receiver, because the signal can be amplified to make up for it. However in high frequency receivers the receiver's SNR is dominated by noise in the receiver's front end, so it is important that the receiving antenna is impedance-matched to the receiver to give maximum signal amplitude in the front end stages, to overcome noise.
Overview
[edit]An antenna's impedance is different at different frequencies. An antenna tuner matches a radio with a fixed impedance (typically 50 Ohms for modern transceivers) to the combination of the feedline and the antenna; useful when the impedance seen at the input end of the feedline is unknown, complex, or otherwise different from the transceiver. Coupling through an ATU allows the use of one antenna on a broad range of frequencies. However, despite its name, an antenna 'tuner ' actually matches the transmitter only to the complex impedance reflected back to the input end of the feedline. If both tuner and transmission line were lossless, tuning at the transmitter end would indeed produce a match at every point in the transmitter-feedline-antenna system.[2] However, in practical systems feedline losses limit the ability of the antenna 'tuner' to match the antenna or change its resonant frequency.
If the loss of power is very low in the line carrying the transmitter's signal into the antenna, a tuner at the transmitter end can produce a worthwhile degree of matching and tuning for the antenna and feedline network as a whole.[3][4] With lossy feedlines (such as commonly used 50 Ohm coaxial cable) maximum power transfer only occurs if matching is done at both ends of the line.[5]
If there is still a high SWR (multiple reflections) in the feedline beyond the ATU, any loss in the feedline is multiplied several times by the transmitted waves reflecting back and forth between the tuner and the antenna, heating the wire instead of sending out a signal. Even with a matching unit at both ends of the feedline – the near ATU matching the transmitter to the feedline and the remote ATU matching the feedline to the antenna – losses in the circuitry of the two ATUs will reduce power delivered to the antenna. Therefore, operating an antenna far from its design frequency and compensating with a transmatch between the transmitter and the feedline is not as efficient as using a resonant antenna with a matched-impedance feedline, nor as efficient as a matched feedline from the transmitter to a remote antenna tuner attached directly to the antenna.
Broad band matching methods
[edit]Transformers, autotransformers, and baluns are sometimes incorporated into the design of narrow band antenna tuners and antenna cabling connections. They will all usually have little effect on the resonant frequency of either the antenna or the narrow band transmitter circuits, but can widen the range of impedances that the antenna tuner can match, and/or convert between balanced and unbalanced cabling where needed.
Ferrite transformers
[edit]Solid-state power amplifiers operating from 1–30 MHz typically use one or more wideband transformers wound on ferrite cores. MOSFETs and bipolar junction transistors are designed to operate into a low impedance, so the transformer primary typically has a single turn, while the 50 Ohm secondary will have 2 to 4 turns. This feedline system design has the advantage of reducing the retuning required when the operating frequency is changed. A similar design can match an antenna to a transmission line; For example, many TV antennas have a 300 Ohm impedance and feed the signal to the TV via a 75 Ohm coaxial line. A small ferrite core transformer makes the broad band impedance transformation. This transformer does not need, nor is it capable of adjustment. For receive-only use in a TV the small SWR variation with frequency is not a major problem.
It should be added that many ferrite based transformers perform a balanced to unbalanced transformation along with the impedance change. When the balanced to unbalanced function is present these transformers are called a balun (otherwise an unun). The most common baluns have either a 1:1 or a 1:4 impedance transformation.
Autotransformers
[edit]There are several designs for impedance matching using an autotransformer, which is a single-wire transformer with different connection points or taps spaced along the windings. They are distinguished mainly by their impedance transform ratio (1:1, 1:4, 1:9, etc., the square of the winding ratio), and whether the input and output sides share a common ground, or are matched from a cable that is grounded on one side (unbalanced) to an ungrounded (usually balanced) cable. When autotransformers connect balanced and unbalanced lines they are called baluns, just as two-winding transformers. When two differently-grounded cables or circuits must be connected but the grounds kept independent, a full, two-winding transformer with the desired ratio is used instead.
The circuit pictured at the right has three identical windings wrapped in the same direction around either an "air" core (for very high frequencies) or ferrite core (for middle, or low frequencies). The three equal windings shown are wired for a common ground shared by two unbalanced lines (so this design is called an unun), and can be used as 1:1, 1:4, or 1:9 impedance match, depending on the tap chosen. (The same windings could be connected differently to make a balun instead.)
For example, if the right-hand side is connected to a resistive load of 10 Ohms, the user can attach a source at any of the three ungrounded terminals on the left side of the autotransformer to get a different impedance. Notice that on the left side, the line with more windings measures greater impedance for the same 10 Ohm load on the right.
Narrow band design
[edit]The "narrow-band" methods described below cover a very much smaller span of frequencies, by comparison with the broadband methods described above.
Antenna matching methods that use transformers tend to cover a wide range of frequencies. A single, typical, commercially available balun can cover frequencies from 3.5–30.0 MHz, or nearly the entire shortwave radio band. Matching to an antenna using a cut segment of transmission line (described below) is perhaps the most efficient of all matching schemes in terms of electrical power, but typically can only cover a range about 3.5–3.7 MHz wide – a very small range indeed, compared to a broadband balun. Antenna coupling or feedline matching circuits are also narrowband for any single setting, but can be re-tuned more conveniently. However they are perhaps the least efficient in terms of power-loss (aside from having no impedance matching at all!).
Transmission line antenna tuning methods
[edit]The insertion of a special section of transmission line, whose characteristic impedance differs from that of the main line, can be used to match the main line to the antenna. An inserted line with the proper impedance and connected at the proper location can perform complicated matching effects with very high efficiency, but spans a very limited frequency range.[6]
The simplest example this method is the quarter-wave impedance transformer formed by a section of mismatched transmission line. If a quarter-wavelength of 75 Ohm coaxial cable is linked to a 50 Ohm load, the SWR in the 75 Ohm quarter wavelength of line can be calculated as 75Ω / 50Ω = 1.5; the quarter-wavelength of line transforms the mismatched impedance to 112.5 Ohms (75 Ohms × 1.5 = 112.5 Ohms). Thus this inserted section matches a 112 Ohm antenna to a 50 Ohm main line.
The 1⁄6 wavelength coaxial transformer is a useful way to match 50 to 75 Ohms using the same general method.[7] The theoretical basis is discussion by the inventor, and wider application of the method is found here: Branham, P. (1959). A Convenient Transformer for matching Co-axial lines. Geneva: CERN.[8]
A second common method is the use of a stub: A shorted, or open section of line is connected in parallel with the main line. With coax this is done using a 'T'-connector. The length of the stub and its location can be chosen so as to produce a matched line below the stub, regardless of the complex impedance or SWR of the antenna itself.[9] The J-pole antenna is an example of an antenna with a built-in stub match.
Basic lumped circuit matching using the L network
[edit]The basic circuit required when lumped capacitances and inductors are used is shown below. This circuit is important in that many automatic antenna tuners use it, and also because more complex circuits can be analyzed as groups of L-networks.
This is called an L network not because it contains an inductor, (in fact some L-networks consist of two capacitors), but because the two components are at right angles to each other, having the shape of a rotated and sometimes reversed English letter 'L'. The 'T' ("Tee") network and the π ("Pi") network also have a shape similar to the English and Greek letters they are named after.
This basic network is able to act as an impedance transformer. If the output has an impedance consisting of resistance Rload and reactance j Xload, while the input is to be attached to a source which has an impedance of Rsource resistance and j Xsource reactance, then
and
- .
In this example circuit, XL and XC can be swapped. All the ATU circuits below create this network, which exists between systems with different impedances.
For instance, if the source has a resistive impedance of 50 Ω and the load has a resistive impedance of 1000 Ω :
If the frequency is 28 MHz,
As,
then,
So,
While as,
then,
Theory and practice
[edit]A parallel network, consisting of a resistive element (1000 Ω) and a reactive element (−j 229.415 Ω), will have the same impedance and power factor as a series network consisting of resistive (50 Ω) and reactive elements (−j 217.94 Ω).
By adding another element in series (which has a reactive impedance of +j 217.94 Ω), the impedance is 50 Ω (resistive).
Types of L networks and their use
[edit]The L-network can have eight different configurations, six of which are shown here. The two missing configurations are the same as the bottom row, but with the parallel element (wires vertical) on the right side of the series element (wires horizontal), instead of on the left, as shown.
In discussion of the diagrams that follows the in connector comes from the transmitter or "source"; the out connector goes to the antenna or "load". The general rule (with some exceptions, described below) is that the series element of an L-network goes on the side with the lowest impedance.[10]
So for example, the three circuits in the left column and the two in the bottom row have the series (horizontal) element on the out side are generally used for stepping up from a low-impedance input (transmitter) to a high-impedance output (antenna), similar to the example analyzed in the section above. The top two circuits in the right column, with the series (horizontal) element on the in side, are generally useful for stepping down from a higher input to a lower output impedance.
The general rule only applies to loads that are mainly resistive, with very little reactance. In cases where the load is highly reactive – such as an antenna fed with a signals whose frequency is far away from any resonance – the opposite configuration may be required. If far from resonance, the bottom two step down (high-in to low-out) circuits would instead be used to connect for a step up (low-in to high-out that is mostly reactance).[11]
The low- and high-pass versions of the four circuits shown in the top two rows use only one inductor and one capacitor. Normally, the low-pass would be preferred with a transmitter, in order to attenuate harmonics, but the high-pass configuration may be chosen if the components are more conveniently obtained, or if the radio already contains an internal low-pass filter, or if attenuation of low frequencies is desirable – for example when a local AM station broadcasting on a medium frequency may be overloading a high frequency receiver.
The Low R, high C circuit is shown feeding a short vertical antenna, such as would be the case for a compact, mobile antenna or otherwise on frequencies below an antenna's lowest natural resonant frequency. Here the inherent capacitance of a short, random wire antenna is so high that the L-network is best realized with two inductors, instead of aggravating the problem by using a capacitor.
The Low R, high L circuit is shown feeding a small loop antenna. Below resonance this type of antenna has so much inductance, that more inductance from adding a coil would make the reactance even worse. Therefore, the L-network is composed of two capacitors.
An L-network is the simplest circuit that will achieve the desired transformation; for any one given antenna and frequency, once a circuit is selected from the eight possible configurations (of which six are shown above) only one set of component values will match the in impedance to the out impedance. In contrast, the circuits described below all have three or more components, and hence have many more choices for inductance and capacitance that will produce an impedance match. The radio operator must experiment, test, and use judgement to choose among the many adjustments that produce the same impedance match.
Antenna system losses
[edit]Loss in Antenna tuners
[edit]Every means of impedance match will introduce some power loss. This will vary from a few percent for a transformer with a ferrite core, to 50% or more for a complex ATU that is improperly tuned or working at the limits of its tuning range.[12]
With the narrow band tuners, the L-network has the lowest loss, partly because it has the fewest components, but mainly because it necessarily operates at the lowest possible for a given impedance transformation. With the L-network, the loaded is not adjustable, but is fixed midway between the source and load impedances. Since most of the loss in practical tuners will be in the coil, choosing either the low-pass or high-pass network may reduce the loss somewhat.
The L-network using only capacitors will have the lowest loss, but this network only works where the load impedance is very inductive, making it a good choice for a small loop antenna. Inductive impedance also occurs with straight-wire antennas used at frequencies slightly above a resonant frequency, where the antenna is too long – for example, between a quarter and a half wave long at the operating frequency. However, problematic straight-wire antennas are typically too short for the frequency in use.
With the high-pass T-network, the loss in the tuner can vary from a few percent – if tuned for lowest loss – to over 50% if the tuner is not properly adjusted. Using the maximum available capacitance will give less loss, than if one simply tunes for a match without regard for the settings.[13] This is because using more capacitance means using fewer inductor turns, and the loss is mainly in the inductor.
With the SPC tuner the losses will be somewhat higher than with the T-network, since the added capacitance across the inductor will shunt some reactive current to ground which must be cancelled by additional current in the inductor.[14] The trade-off is that the effective inductance of the coil is increased, thus allowing operation at lower frequencies than would otherwise be possible.
If additional filtering is desired, the inductor can be deliberately set to larger values, thus providing a partial band pass effect.[15] Either the high-pass T, low-pass π, or the SPC tuner can be adjusted in this manner. The additional attenuation at harmonic frequencies can be increased significantly with only a small percentage of additional loss at the tuned frequency.
When adjusted for minimum loss, the SPC tuner will have better harmonic rejection than the high-pass T due to its internal tank circuit. Either type is capable of good harmonic rejection if a small additional loss is acceptable. The low-pass π has exceptional harmonic attenuation at any setting, including the lowest-loss.
ATU location
[edit]An ATU will be inserted somewhere along the line connecting the radio transmitter or receiver to the antenna.[16] The antenna feedpoint is usually high in the air (for example, a dipole antenna) or far away (for example, an end-fed random wire antenna). A transmission line, or feedline, must carry the signal between the transmitter and the antenna. The ATU can be placed anywhere along the feedline: at the transmitter, at the antenna, or somewhere in between.
Antenna tuning is best done as close to the antenna as possible to minimize loss, increase bandwidth, and reduce voltage and current on the transmission line. Also, when the information being transmitted has frequency components whose wavelength is a significant fraction of the electrical length of the feed line, distortion of the transmitted information will occur if there are standing waves on the line. Analog TV and FM stereo broadcasts are affected in this way. For those modes, matching at the antenna is required.
When possible, an automatic or remotely-controlled tuner in a weather-proof case at or near the antenna is convenient and makes for an efficient system. With such a tuner, it is possible to match a wide range of antennas[17] (including stealth antennas).[18][19]
When the ATU must be located near the radio for convenient adjustment, any significant SWR will increase the loss in the feedline. For that reason, when using an ATU at the transmitter, low-loss, high-impedance feedline is a great advantage (open-wire line, for example). A short length of low-loss coaxial line is acceptable, but with longer lossy lines the additional loss due to SWR becomes very high.[20]
It is very important to remember that when matching the transmitter to the line, as is done when the ATU is near the transmitter, there is no change in the SWR in the feedline. The backlash currents reflected from the antenna are retro-reflected by the ATU – usually several times between the two – and so are invisible on the transmitter-side of the ATU. The result of the multiple reflections is compounded loss, higher voltage or higher currents, and narrowed bandwidth, none of which can be corrected by the ATU.
Standing wave ratio
[edit]It is a common misconception that a high standing wave ratio (SWR) per se causes loss.[3] A well-adjusted ATU feeding an antenna through a low-loss line may have only a small percentage of additional loss compared with an intrinsically matched antenna, even with a high SWR (4:1, for example).[21] An ATU sitting beside the transmitter just re-reflects energy reflected from the antenna ("backlash current") back yet again along the feedline to the antenna ("retro-reflection").[3] High losses arise from RF resistance in the feedline and antenna, and those multiple reflections due to high SWR cause feedline losses to be compounded.
Using low-loss, high-impedance feedline with an ATU results in very little loss, even with multiple reflections. However, if the feedline-antenna combination is 'lossy' then an identical high SWR may lose a considerable fraction of the transmitter's power output. High impedance lines – such as most parallel-wire lines – carry power mostly as high voltage rather than high current, and current alone determines the power lost to line resistance. So despite high SWR, very little power is lost in high-impedance line compared low-impedance line – typical coaxial cable, for example. For that reason, radio operators can be more casual about using tuners with high-impedance feedline.
Without an ATU, the SWR from a mismatched antenna and feedline can present an improper load to the transmitter, causing distortion and loss of power or efficiency with heating and/or burning of the output stage components. Modern solid state transmitters will automatically reduce power when high SWR is detected, so some solid-state power stages only produce weak signals if the SWR rises above 1.5 to 1. Were it not for that problem, even the losses from an SWR of 2:1 could be tolerated, since only 11 percent of transmitted power would be reflected and 89 percent sent out through to the antenna. So the main loss of output power with high SWR is due to the transmitter "backing off" its output when challenged with backlash current.
Tube transmitters and amplifiers usually have an adjustable output network that can feed mismatched loads up to perhaps 3:1 SWR without trouble. In effect the built-in π-network of the transmitter output stage acts as an ATU. Further, since tubes are electrically robust (even though mechanically fragile), tube-based circuits can tolerate very high backlash current without damage.
Broadcast Applications
[edit]AM broadcast transmitters
[edit]One of the oldest applications for antenna tuners is in AM and shortwave broadcasting transmitters. AM transmitters usually use a vertical antenna (tower) which can be from 0.20 to 0.68 wavelengths long. At the base of the tower an ATU is used to match the antenna to the 50 Ohm transmission line from the transmitter. The most commonly used circuit is a T-network, using two series inductors with a shunt capacitor between them. When multiple towers are used the ATU network may also provide for a phase adjustment so that the currents in each tower can be phased relative to the others to produce a desired pattern. These patterns are often required by law to include nulls in directions that could produce interference as well as to increase the signal in the target area. Adjustment of the ATUs in a multitower array is a complex and time consuming process requiring considerable expertise.
High-power shortwave transmitters
[edit]For International Shortwave (50 kW and above), frequent antenna tuning is done as part of frequency changes which may be required on a seasonal or even a daily basis. Modern shortwave transmitters typically include built-in impedance-matching circuitry for SWR up to 2:1 , and can adjust their output impedance within 15 seconds.
The matching networks in transmitters sometimes incorporate a balun or an external one can be installed at the transmitter in order to feed a balanced line. Balanced transmission lines of 300 Ohms or more were more-or-less standard for all shortwave transmitters and antennas in the past, even by amateurs. Most shortwave broadcasters have continued to use high-impedance feeds even before the advent of automatic impedance matching.
The most commonly used shortwave antennas for international broadcasting are the HRS antenna (curtain array), which cover a 2 to 1 frequency range and the log-periodic antenna which cover up to 8 to 1 frequency range. Within that range, the SWR will vary, but is usually kept below 1.7 to 1 – within the range of SWR that can be tuned by antenna matching built-into many modern transmitters. Hence, when feeding these antennas, a modern transmitter will be able to tune itself as needed to match at any frequency.
Automatic antenna tuning
[edit]Automatic antenna tuning is used in flagship mobile phones, transceivers for amateur radio, and in land mobile, marine, and tactical HF radio transceivers.
Each antenna tuning system (AT) shown in the figure has an "antenna port", which is directly or indirectly coupled to an antenna, and another port, referred to as "radio port" (or as "user port"), for transmitting and / or receiving radio signals through the AT and the antenna. Each AT shown in the figure has a single antenna-port, (SAP) AT, but a multiple antenna-port (MAP) AT may be needed for MIMO radio transmission.
Several control schemes can be used in a radio transceiver or transmitter to automatically adjust an antenna tuner (AT). The control schemes are based on one of the two configurations, (a) and (b), shown in the diagram. For both configurations, the transmitter comprises:
- antenna
- antenna tuner / matching network (AT)
- sensing unit (SU)
- control unit (CU)
- transmitter and signal processing unit (TSPU)
The TSPU incorporates all the parts of the transmitting not otherwise shown in the diagram.
The TX port of the TSPU delivers a test signal. The SU delivers, to the TSPU, one or more output signals indicating the response to the test signal, one or more electrical variables (such as voltage, current, incident or forward voltage, etc.). The response sensed at the radio port in the case of configuration (a) or at the antenna port in the case of configuration (b). Note that neither configuration (a) nor (b) is ideal, since the line between the antenna and the AT attenuates SWR; response to a test signal is most accurately tested at or near the antenna feedpoint.
Control scheme types[22] Control scheme Configuration Extremum-seeking? Type 0 n/a n/a Type 1 (a) No Type 2 (a) Yes Type 3 (b) No Type 4 (b) Yes
Broydé & Clavelier (2020) distinguish five types of antenna tuner control schemes, as follows:[22]
- Type 0 designates the open-loop AT control schemes that do not use any SU, the adjustment being typically only based on previous knowledge programmed for each operating frequency
- Type 1 and type 2 control schemes use configuration (a)
- type 2 uses extremum-seeking control
- type 1 does not seek an extreme
- Type 3 and type 4 control schemes use configuration (b)
- type 4 uses extremum-seeking control
- type 3 does not seek an extreme
The control schemes may be compared as regards:
- use of closed-loop or open-loop control (or both)
- measurements used
- ability to mitigate the effects of the electromagnetic characteristics of the surroundings
- aim / goal
- accuracy and speed
- dependence on use of a particular model of AT or CU
See also
[edit]- American Radio Relay League
- Electrical lengthening
- Impedance bridging
- Loading coil
- Preselector
- Smith chart
References
[edit]- ^ "Load Pull for Power Devices". microwaves101.com. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ Stiles, J. Matching with Lumped Elements
- ^ a b c Maxwell, W. M. W2DU (1990). Reflections: Transmission lines and antennas, 1st ed. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. ISBN 0-87259-299-5.
- ^ "Moore, Cecil. (2014-01-09). Old XYL's tales in amateur radio". Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- ^ Foothills Amateur Radio Society.
- ^ Silver, H. Ward [Ed] (2011). ARRL Antenna Book, p. 22–24. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. ISBN 978-0-87259-694-8
- ^ Cathey, T. (2009-05-09). How to match a 50 Ohm coax to 75 Ohm coax, 35 Ohm Yagis, etc. AM Forum.
- ^ Branham, P. (1959). A Convenient Transformer for matching Co-axial lines. Geneva: CERN.matching with 1⁄6-wave co-axial lines.
- ^ Storli, Martin. (2017-05-13). Single stub match calculator.
- ^ Silver, H.L. (Ed.) (2011). The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications, 88th ed. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League.
- ^ Smith, Philip H. (1969). Electronic applications of the Smith Chart, p. 121. Tucker, GA: Nobel Publishing. ISBN 1-884932-39-8
- ^ Hallas, Joel R. (2010). The ARRL Guide to Antenna Tuners, pg. 4-3. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. ISBN 978-0-87259-098-4.
- ^ Silver, H.W. (2014). The ARRL Handbook, 2015 Ed., pg. 20-16. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. ISBN 978-1-62595-019-2.
- ^ "Kevin Schmidt, W9CF. Estimating T-network losses at 80 and 160 meters" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
{{cite web}}
: no-break space character in|title=
at position 65 (help) - ^ Stanley, J. (2015-09). Technical Correspondence: Antenna Tuners as Preselectors. QST, September 2015, pg. 61.
- ^ "Dave Miller. (1995-08). "Back to Basics". QST, August 1995" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- ^ SGC World: HF Users' Guide
- ^ SGC World: Stealth Kit.
- ^ SGC World: Smart Tuners for Stealth Antennas.
- ^ Hallas, Joel R. (2010). The ARRL Guide to Antenna Tuners, pg. 7-4. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League, ISBN 978-0-87259-098-4
- ^ Hall, Jerry (Ed.). (1988). ARRL Antenna Book, p. 25–18ff. Newington, CT: American Radio Relay League. ISBN 978-0-87259-206-3
- ^ a b Broydé, F.; Clavelier, E. (June 2020). "A typology of antenna tuner control schemes, for one or more antennas". Excem Research Papers in Electronics and Electromagnetics (1). doi:10.5281/zenodo.3902749.
Further reading
[edit]- Wright, H. C. (1987). An Introduction to Antenna Theory (BP198). London: Bernard Babani.
- Radio Society of Great Britain (1976). The Radio Communication Handbook (5th ed.). Bedford, UK: RSGB. ISBN 0-900612-58-4.
- Rohde, Ulrich L. (1974). "Die Anpassung von kurzen Stabantennen für KW-Sender" [Matching of short rod-antennas for short-wave transmitters]. Funkschau (in German) (7).
- Rohde, Ulrich L. (13 September 1975). "Match any antenna over the 1.5 to 30 MHz range with only two adjustable elements". Electronic Design. 19.