Ladder line

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Ladder line connected to a balun
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Ladder line connected to a balun

Ladder line or window line is a type of transmission line similar to twin-lead for balanced connection of antennas. Ladder line is constructed as a pair of evenly spaced wires with supportive plastic webbing holding the wires apart. The plastic webbing has windows cut in it to reduce its dielectric effect and reduce loss in the transmission line. The alternating webbing and windows gives ladder line is characteristic look and name.

Common ladder line types have characteristic impedances of 300Ω, 450Ω, or 600Ω with a velocity factor of 95%.

Ladder line is less expensive and has lower losses than other transmission line types, but is more sensitive to surrounding metal objects than coaxial cable.

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