Cushcraft X9 Baluns

Here is a view of the Cushcraft X9 Balun. The antennas had been up for a few years with out any issues. The last year or two, I have not been very active on the air. I recently decided to upgrade the old 40 meter beam on my tower. In order to do this, I had to drop the X9. I had a enlightening... water came pouring out of the balun. After the X9 was on the ground, I removed the balun from the beam. The first thing that I noticed was the noise. The balun sounded like a baby rattle!! I then took apart the balun. Here are some pictures!

X9 Balun whne we took down the beam

What we found when I took the cover off!!

The ferrite that was from the inside of the balun.

After the above discovery, I did a bit of homework. I decided to install W0IYH baluns. These are used by many stations and have grown dramitcally in popularity. I have seen two things. The noise on the antennas have been reduced (from casual observation). The antennas seem to work very well. Not a bad combination. I will try to add more links and information. Suggestions are welcomed!!

WC2L at WC2L.COM