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write your own review of the Radio Shack TV Twin Lead.
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K1FPV
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 22, 2009 08:16
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For The Price, You Can't Go Wrong!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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For 5 1/2 years prior to my retirement, I lived in an antenna restricted development. I used this inexpensive 300 ohm ribbon to feed a 20 meter inverted V in my attic which I used on 20 through 10 meters. I used an inexpensive MFJ tuner to make the rig like the antenna. This combination worked great with me logging many DX contacts all with 100 watts or less....often QRP.
I wouldn't hesitate to use it again if the situation arose!
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KG4AZN
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 22, 2009 07:26
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Works for me
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I use it to feed a 40M Delta loop. I got 100' of it for $18 bucks. It does the job pretty well. I use a sharp razor blade to strip it.
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VE3MIZ
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 7, 2009 22:38
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Average
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Not uniform. Supposed to be a straight flat ribbon but the rolls I've got have sagging sections (towards the sides)
Measured Velocity Factor around 0.77 (much lower than expected for 300-ohm TV twin lead)
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KB0PTV
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 4, 2009 23:50
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BAD
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Not worth the powder to blow it to hell!
Fragile, cheap (like all radio shack junk), and unreliable
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KD4LEI
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Rating: 5/5
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May 19, 2008 18:43
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Agree with the "5" raters
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This stuff is pretty good. I am able to tune with a 1.3 or less SWR on all bands with the exception of 15 and 17 meters. My MFJ tuner doesn't like what it's detecting on both of those bands, but likes the match it gets on the others
I run a rain gutter antenna setup at my home and was able to make one contact so far (on 40 meters) after I set it up. I would not put much thought into the reviewer's who gave it a "0". Either they weren't using it correctly, or because it has the name Radio Shack, they immediately write it off as junk. RS does do things decently from time to time and this is one of them.
I will give another review before summer is over to describe more of my experiences with it.
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W5ONV
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 1, 2007 21:39
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Good for me !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used this Radio Shack twin lead on several occasions and it works great for me. SWR was good and tuned up good. Pretty good price too.Not the best in the world but it works well 73, Jim
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N2RRA
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 1, 2007 21:32
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Great ladder line
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Don't know what the last two posts were doing wrong, but I can't say the same.
I've been using Radio Shack 300 ohm Ladder Line for several years now, and have had great success.
Even built a Full Wave Loop, and installed it upstate New York on property @ 2800ft above sea level, and has endured extreme winter weather. Not cracked yet!
Used in the New York city location where it runs up aluminum sided house across tarred roof top, and up mast to wire antenna. I've run 1200 watts through it, and never a problem!
Cheap and yields good peformance like 300 ohm should.
Good enough for me and cheap. My supplier is Radio Shack for 300 ohm ladder line.
73!
N2RRA
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KN4LF
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Rating: 0/5
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Mar 8, 2007 12:20
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Garbage
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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The Radio Shack 300 ohm (TV) twinlead is very lossy and breaks easily in the wind, due to the small diameter of the enclosed stranded wires and also as there are no slots cut in the insulating material. It also reacts to surface moisture and dirt, which throws off it's characteristic impedance.
If you want high quality low loss Ham Radio 300 ohm window line get it from the R.F. Connection.
73,
Thomas Giella, KN4LF
Lakeland, FL, USA
www.kn4lf.com
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KX0R
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 26, 2005 19:58
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Good balanced line!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Radio Shack twin lead is so good I have to add a few comments beyond what's already been said here. Be sure you get the good "low loss" twin lead. This line has decent quality, foam core, good black polyethylene, and #20 stranded copper conductors. Like all transmission lines, it's a compromise between price, performance, and weight; but this is nice material for ham radio.
I've used a 50-foot section of this line to feed various dipole-type antennas for Field Days and QRP-portable work. What I like about the line is its good RF performance, light weight, and easy handling. Because I use my portable antennas on several bands, I like balanced line and balanced tuners. You can feed a regular 1/2 wave dipole with this 300-ohm line, and it will work nicely despite the 4:1 mismatch, as long as you have a decent tuner. The losses may well be less than what you'd have with matched lightweight coax! Don't bother with the folded dipole concept - it's not worth the trouble, unless you want perfection on just one or two bands.
You can feed the same plain (not folded) dipole antenna with twice the frequency - two half waves in phase - and despite the impedance of several thousand ohms at the center, the Radio Shack line will do a nice job. My favorite "can do" antenna is a 40-meter dipole cut to about 66 feet. I use it with QRP radios on 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meters. Remember that no balun is required at the feedpoint.
One thing I like about twin lead is that you can use banana plugs and jacks with it. These are inexpensive and convenient for portable work. Put a couple of banana females on your dipole center insulator and just plug in the feedline. You can put males on one end of a section of feedline, and females on the other, and then you have a extension cable in case you have a high tree and need a little extra line. String it through the trees, lay it on the ground, run it into your tent or your car - this stuff is nice for low power. It also handles well, doesn't get caught in the bushes, and rolls up easily.
One of my best tips is to make up a couple of extension lines, maybe 8 feet and 15 feet, and stick in the extra line in case there's a problem getting a good match on one or more bands. Don't worry about Smith Charts or SWR - you're going to have standing waves for sure - just use a good balanced tuner and tune out the reactance. One of the benefits of a true balanced system is that you need no ground at all, as long as the weather is dry and there's no static buildup. I've operated portable many times with no ground at all, totally balanced, with great results.
I also like window line for QRP work. It probably has even lower losses than the RS twinlead, and it's rugged. However, the RS twinlead is much more friendly in the woods or over bushes, it's lighter hanging on the antenna, and it's easier to pack.
I've never run much power through the RS twinlead, but I think you should go easy on it if you know you have a severe mismatch. It ought to handle 100 watts in most situations, and perhaps much more if well matched. Use window line or open-wire for high power.
I recommend you buy and use this great twinlead if you're comfortable with balanced line - I don't think you can beat it for multiband QRP work. Few things work so well for so few bucks.
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