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| Reviews Summary for Ladder Snap Ladder Line Kits |
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Reviews: 7
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $29.99
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Description: Make your own 600 ohm Ladder Line the easy way. No more
laborious cutting up plastic or wood dowel rods. Simply
open the bag and snap your line together. Make your
feedline up as you need it. Never again get caught short or
buy more feedline than you need to finish your antenna
project. You won't have to wait weeks for an out of stock
supplier during peak antenna building season.
For use with #14 THHN Stranded or Solid Wire
www.73CNC.com
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.73CNC.com
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write your own review of the Ladder Snap Ladder Line Kits.
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K7NJC
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 18, 2012 19:28
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Great for building multi-band dipoles
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought a bag of ladder line snaps to build multi-band dipoles for both the house and field day. They are easy to install and look very good once the antenna is installed. For wire, I use the 14 gauge wire that is sold by DX engineering in their wire antenna kits.
Winters can be tough in Montana and this is a product that you do not have worry failing in the middle of the winter.
Dick
K7NJC
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K4OR
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 18, 2012 17:21
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Great Product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I replaced 450 ohm ladder line I had been using for years and decided to make my own balanced line using ladder-snap spacers. I was very satisfied with how well the job went in a minimal amount of time. I used warm soapy water and household pliers and it worked fine. I think another type of pliers such as those mentioned in the other reviews may work better. I would certainly recommend ladder-snap to anyone desiring to make their own balanced feedline.
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WA5OPT
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 31, 2012 02:34
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Great Product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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If your thinking about using open wire transmission line, THIS is the way to to go. The product and service are top notch. Ladder snap works like a charm. It only took me about two hours to make a 75 ft feed line. The last one that same size took all day.
73
WA5OPT
Cliff
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W4HBM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 29, 2012 15:41
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A Better Mousetrap
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The last time I made a ladder line I used PVC water pipe and XHHW-2 wire. It took weeks, and then, the foolish tubes would slide down the wire leaving 3 foot sections and piles of tubes where they didn't belong. Then, 12 years later, the wire turned to cheese andmy analyzer said the entire mess was >10:1 SWR and the Impedance (Z) was Zero Ohms.
So I took a chance and ordered the 250 foot Ladder Snap kit of 174 pieces. Kinda pricey, but they're Delrin plastic, not PVC, and they need to be cooked in hot water to work. Take the iron kettle right out with ya. Don't listen to them about using a combo set of pliers. Go buy a Channel-Lock Pipe plier and use the narrowest setting. Get it when you get your THHN wire.
Wait until it's the coldest day of the year, with wind blowing at 30 MPH gusts or better. Antenna work is not effective if the wx is mild.
Take the bucket of hot sudsy water out there and let the cool breeze tantalize your fingertips as the water evaporates. After finishing, brush a little dab'll do ya of Polyurethane varnish right over the pinch area, because the wire's insulation gets a little stressed, but don't paint the whole shebang. The snaps have small holes in the cross members. These are great for putting waxed nylon lacing twine through for hanging the ladder line, etc. You're not going to find any equivalent pieces/parts out there, and just forget about PVC tubing.
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K1ZJH
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 28, 2011 08:12
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Clever idea!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I recently installed a 110-foot 80 through 10 Meter dipole using 600 ohm wire feedline which was constructed using electricians' THHN 14 gauge stranded wire and the Ladder Snap spacers.
We had an early Nor'easter rip through Connecticut in October, and despite being hit by large falling branches the ladder line held up with no damage. I used several 3 foot standoffs cut from electrical PVC conduit to support horizontal runs on the ladder line. These supported the open wire along the shed's eve lne just before the line dropped to post mounted DX Engineering 1:1 current balun. These support pipes were totally destroyed and ripped from the building, but the Ladder Snaps held tight and the 600-ohm line itself was fine!
The instructions suggest using slip joint "gas pliers" to lock the wire into the Ladder Snaps. I had a small pair of Channel Locks that worked better for me. I used one Ladder Snap ever 18" per the directions and that proved to be more than adequate. The antenna roughly follows the
open-wire dipole shown on the DX Engineering website. I use a large Dentron tuner to match the antenna. The feedline impedance is a bit higher than suggested, but there is something about being able to make your own ladder line, especially when you're rewarded with a superior low-loss feedline system that emulates the "Old Buzzard" open wires of yore!
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KA9UVY
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 23, 2010 18:36
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Quality product and easy to use
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First off I wanted to make up about 150 feet of line so I asked if I could get the extra pieces and it was no problem. My special 150 foot package arrived quickly and line building day was here.
I found them easy to apply but used dish soap and water in a cup for lubricant so as not to leave an oily residue. I wanted them to stay put after all.
Also suggest that you make up a spacer out of a 1 x 4 about 17" long so you can keep them even and square with the line. I put 4 roofing nails in the side of the 1 x 4 so it slid along on top of the lines as I worked my way down.
I have had the line up only a short time but since it survived high wind and rain last night I believe that they have a very good grip on the wire and should last a long time.
I would suggest that you get a few extra especially if your line has a twist in it like mine on my Lazy H. The #14 wire doesn't like to turn corners and a few extra with short spacing will help.
If you want a great ladder line and don't want to spend a whole day making your own spacers then these are probably just what your looking for!
73, Bob
KA9UVY
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