Cost-effective

Ferrite Chokes and Baluns

Update 2019
The technical background is still valid,
but due to changes in the prices of ferrite cores
these may no longer be the most cost effective
designs.
Ferrite Chokes and Baluns

• Why might I need one?

• What makes a good choke?
• Three recommended designs
Ferrite Chokes and Baluns

• Why might I need one?

• What makes a good choke?
• Three recommended designs
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

Q1: What are RF chokes for?

A: To stop RF currents from flowing
where they aren’t wanted
…and so, to help solve EMC problems.
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

Q1: What are RF chokes for?

A: To stop RF currents from flowing
where they aren’t wanted.

Q2: What are baluns for?

A: Er…to make my antenna balanced?

Wrong!
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

Q1: What are RF chokes for?

A: To stop RF currents from flowing
where they aren’t wanted.

Q2: What are baluns for?

A: Exactly the same as for Q1:
to stop RF currents from flowing
where they aren’t wanted.
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

Fields around a balanced dipole: the textbook picture

WRONG
Only the antenna radiates

AGAIN
Feedline could be Feedline
No “common-mode”
either coax or doesn’t
RF current
parallel line radiate
on feedline

Real life isn’t like this!

Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

Reality looks like this…

Feedline
Common-mode
radiates
RF current
TVI on feedline

Induces RF
current on TV
downlead
… or many other kinds of R F I (RF Interference)
Coax basics:
1. The inside of a coaxial cable is private –
completely screened from the outside world.
2. At RF, current flows only on surfaces of
conductors.
3. TheAntenna
outside surface of the coax shield is a
feedpoint separate conductor from the
completely
inside surface.
4. The outside surface of the shield is part of
the outside world. This is where the
common-mode currents flow. Common-mode
current flows on
outside surface
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?
Another example…

Coax-fed dipole
Common-
Feedline is mode RF
current
radiating
“RF in the
Shack”

RF earth
INJECTING RF
into the mains
Mains earth
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?
Answer: To block unwanted common-mode currents

Feedline is
radiating
“RF in the
Shack”

INJECTING RF
into the mains
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

It all starts here:

the antenna feedpoint
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?
Common mode choke here

Common-
Feedline is mode RF
“RF in the Shack” radiating current
problems

RF into the mains

Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?
Common mode choke here

Another
choke
Mains choke
here
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?
Common mode choke here = “balun”

The same
chokes, doing
the same job

“Feedline
choke”
“Mains choke”
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

The same chokes –

same ferrite cores,
same number of turns,
same diameter.
Only the cable is
different, depending
on the application.

Because they’re all doing the same job –

blocking unwanted common-mode RF current
on that particular cable.
Chokes and baluns: Why might I need one?

• To solve EMC problems

• Specifically… to stop RF currents
flowing in the wrong places
• Chokes may be needed in several different places:
• at the antenna feedpoint (“a balun”)
• at other places on coax feedlines
• on other wiring in the shack (eg computer
cables)
• on mains wiring.
• The same choke designs will work for a range of
applications
(only the cable and connectors need to change).
Ferrite Chokes and Baluns

 Why might I need one?

• What makes a good choke?
• Three recommended designs
Chokes and baluns: What makes a good choke?

Remember, this is an EMC problem.

The Curse of EMC
is that every situation is different.
• Some EMC problems are ‘soft’ and easy to solve –
for these, almost any choke will give good results
• But some problems are much harder –
these need chokes with much higher performance
• The curse of emc is, you never know which it
will be…
So always aim for overkill
– high-performance chokes
are far more likely to do the job.
Chokes and baluns: What makes a good choke?

What does “high performance” mean?

In any RF choke,
high performance = high impedance
For hard EMC problems, that means…
• Impedance of several thousand ohms
• Maintained across a wide bandwidth
Why?
• Impedance must be mainly resistive
See the
Radcom
article.
Chokes and baluns: What makes a good choke?

Chokes that don’t work well

…or may only work for ‘soft’ EMC problems.
Chokes and baluns: What makes a good choke?

Chokes that don’t work well

 Air-wound chokes
What’s good:
1. Cheap and easy to make (only needs extra
cable)
2. Lightweight
What’s bad:
3. Very narrow-band
4. Can easily be detuned in real-life situations.
Chokes and baluns: What makes a good choke?

Chokes that don’t work well

 Strings of ferrite beads
What’s good:
1. Broadband, mainly resistive impedance
What’s bad:
2. Usually not enough impedance
(needs a large number of large beads of the
right type)
3. Very expensive to do properly
4. Very long and heavy.
Ferrite Chokes and Baluns

 Why might I need one?

 What makes a good choke?
• Three recommended designs
Chokes and baluns: Three recommended designs

Chokes that do work well

 Ferrite cores and multiple turns
But you MUST:
• Use a good design
• Use the specified type of core.

Unknown surplus ferrite cores

WILL NOT WORK!
For good results, use the right ingredients
and follow the recipe.
Chokes and baluns: Three recommended designs

The problem is the cost!

• Best ferrite cores are made in the USA
(eg Fair-Rite 31 and 43 grade materials)
Searching for
• Not cheap, and large mark-ups by US distributors

cost-effective solutions…
• Importing to UK adds extra shipping costs,
currency exchange costs, VAT and “handling
charges” = double the price
• Best performance comes from large cores which
are very expensive
• Some US designs may use 4-5 large cores
per choke – way too expensive!
Chokes and baluns: Three recommended designs

Three recommended designs for HF

covering
What’s good: the low, middle and high HF bands
(Developed from
1. Cost-effective: anthe
all use idea by W2VJN,
same type of in the
core,
2010
available in the UKARRL
(aboutHandbook)
£2.70 each)
2. Very easy to make, can be applied to different
types of cable, different frequency ranges
3. Very high performance – broadband, with a high
resistive impedance.
4. Dependable EMC solution – can tackle all but the
very worst common-mode problems.
Chokes and baluns: Three recommended designs

Three recommended designs for HF

What’s bad:
1. You have to use those cores – no substitutes.
2. You have to make your own.
3. Not the ultimate best performance.
Even better chokes are available… but will cost
you a lot more for the ferrite!
(Remember, the original aim was cost-effectiveness –
best performance obtainable at reasonable cost.)
Chokes and baluns: Three recommended designs

Three recommended designs for HF

What’s good:
1. All use the same type of core, by Fair-Rite
2. Cores are in stock in the UK (about £2.70 each)
3. Very easy to make, can be applied to different types
of cable, different frequency ranges
The most cost-effective strategy:
Keep a small stock of bare cores.
Make up the exact kinds of chokes you need,
when you need them.
Ferrite Chokes and Baluns

 Why might I need one?

 What makes a good choke?
 Three recommended designs

More information
[Link]/inpractice
Chokes and baluns: What makes a good choke?

Choke

Values are unknown

• Impedance of choke must be high enough to

dominate all likely values of Z1 and Z2.
• Air-wound chokes have reactive impedance,
which will become series resonant with Z1-Z2
at some unknown frequency.
 The “RF Earth” Fallacy

Unwanted
“common-
mode” RF
“RF in the Shack” current

“RF in the Mains”

“Mains earth” “RF earth”
= HIGH INTERFERENCE RISK!