Chapter 14: Transmission Lines

TRUE/FALSE 1. A transmission line is a metallic cable. ANS: T 2. Coaxial cables are referred to as "unbalanced". ANS: T 3. "Balanced" means that both conductors are the same size. ANS: F 4. Twisted-pair telephone wire is a kind of transmission line. ANS: T 5. Cable resistance does not depend on frequency. ANS: F 6. Losses occur in the plastic dielectric of a transmission line. ANS: T 7. Basically, a transmission line looks like an inductor in series with a small resistor. ANS: F 8. Distributed parameters (inductance and capacitance) are characteristic of transmission lines. ANS: T 9. Transmission lines are often considered to be "lossless" at higher frequencies. ANS: T 10. The characteristic impedance of a cable depends mostly on the resistance of the wires. ANS: F 11. For coaxial cables, there are only a few standard values in common use. ANS: T 12. The value of the load at the end of a transmission line must be equal to or less than Z0. ANS: F

13. RF signals travel slower on a transmission line than they would through free space. ANS: T 14. Energy can "reflect" from a load at the end of a cable and travel back to the source. ANS: T 15. A "mismatched" line will cause reflections. ANS: T 16. The typical load on a cable, such as an antenna, has the same value at any frequency. ANS: F 17. A mismatched line between a transmitter and an antenna could actually damage the transmitter. ANS: T 18. A matched transmission line will exhibit "standing" waves. ANS: F 19. The optimum value for SWR is one. ANS: T 20. "Ghost" images on a cable TV indicate an impedance mismatch. ANS: T 21. If a cable is shorter than 1/16 of the signal's wavelength, it does not really behave as a transmission line. ANS: T 22. Shorted stubs radiate more energy than open stubs do. ANS: F 23. It is often better to measure SWR at the load rather than the source. ANS: T 24. The only limit to the power that a transmission line can carry is the heat from I 2R losses. ANS: F 25. A length of transmission line can be used to match impedances at very high frequencies.

ANS: T 26. A circular graph called a "Jones" chart is commonly used to analyze transmission lines. ANS: F 27. There is no practical way to connect a balanced line to an unbalanced line. ANS: F 28. A 1/4 wavelength transmission line can be used as a transformer. ANS: T 29. When used, stubs are usually inserted in series with a transmission line. ANS: F 30. Slotted-lines are only useful at lower frequencies. ANS: F MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. SWR stands for: a Shorted Wave Radiation . b Sine Wave Response . c . d . Shorted Wire Region none of the above

ANS: D 2. TDR stands for: a Total Distance of Reflection . b Time-Domain Reflectometer . c . d . Time-Domain Response Transmission Delay Ratio

ANS: B 3. An example of an unbalanced line is: a a coaxial cable . b 300-ohm twin-lead TV cable . c . d . an open-wire-line cable all of the above

ANS: A

4. When analyzing a transmission line, its inductance and capacitance are considered to be: a lumped c equal reactances . . b distributed d ideal elements . .

ANS: B 5. As frequency increases, the resistance of a wire: a increases c . . b decreases d . . stays the same changes periodically

ANS: A 6. The effect of frequency on the resistance of a wire is called: a I2R loss c the skin effect . . b the Ohmic effect d there is no such effect . .

ANS: C 7. As frequency increases, the loss in a cable's dielectric: a increases c stays the same . . b decreases d there is no loss in a dielectric . .

ANS: A 8. The characteristic impedance of a cable depends on: a the resistance per foot of the wire used . b the resistance per foot and the inductance per foot . c the resistance per foot and the capacitance per foot . d the inductance per foot and the capacitance per foot .

ANS: D 9. For best matching, the load on a cable should be: a lower than Z0 c . . equal to Z0

b higher than Z0 .

d .

50 ohms

ANS: C 10. The characteristic impedance of a cable: a increases with length . b increases with frequency . c . d . increases with voltage none of the above

ANS: D 11. The velocity factor of a cable depends mostly on: a the wire resistance c the inductance per foot . . b the dielectric constant d all of the above . .

ANS: B 12. A positive voltage pulse sent down a transmission line terminated in a short-circuit: a would reflect as a positive pulse . b would reflect as a negative pulse . c would reflect as a positive pulse followed by a negative pulse . d would not reflect at all .

ANS: B 13. A positive voltage pulse sent down a transmission line terminated with its characteristic impedance: a would reflect as a positive pulse . b would reflect as a negative pulse . c would reflect as a positive pulse followed by a negative pulse . d would not reflect at all .

ANS: D 14. A positive voltage-pulse sent down a transmission line terminated in an open-circuit:

a . b . c . d .

would reflect as a positive pulse would reflect as a negative pulse would reflect as a positive pulse followed by a negative pulse would not reflect at all

ANS: A 15. The optimum value for SWR is: a zero . b one . c . d . as large as possible there is no optimum value

ANS: B 16. A non-optimum value for SWR will cause: a standing waves . b loss of power to load . c . d . higher voltage peaks on cable all of the above

ANS: D 17. VSWR stands for: a variable SWR . b vacuum SWR . c . d . voltage SWR none of the above

ANS: C 18. The impedance "looking into" a matched line: a is infinite . b is zero . c . d . is the characteristic impedance 50 ohms

ANS: C 19. A Smith Chart is used to calculate: a transmission line impedances . b propagation velocity c . d optimum length of a transmission line transmission line losses

ANS: A 20. Compared to a 300-ohm line, the loss of a 50-ohm cable carrying the same power: a would be less c would be the same . . b would be more d cannot be compared . .

ANS: B 21. A balanced load can be connected to an unbalanced cable: a directly c by using a "balun" . . b by using a filter d cannot be connected . .

ANS: C 22. On a Smith Chart, you "normalize" the impedance by: a assuming it to be zero c multiplying it by 2 . . b dividing it by 2 d dividing it by Z0 . .

ANS: D 23. The radius of the circle you draw on a Smith Chart represents: a the voltage c the impedance . . b the current d none of the above . .

ANS: D 24. The center of the Smith Chart always represents: a zero c . . b one d . . the characteristic impedance none of the above

ANS: C 25. A TDR is commonly used to: a measure the characteristic impedance of a cable

. b find the position of a defect in a cable . c replace a slotted-line . d all of the above .

ANS: B COMPLETION 1. A cable that lacks symmetry with respect to ground is called ____________________. ANS: unbalanced 2. Parallel lines are usually operated as ____________________ lines since both wires are symmetrical with respect to ground. ANS: balanced 3. Normally, a transmission line is terminated with a load equal to its ____________________ impedance. ANS: characteristic 4. Twisted-pair cables are transmission lines for relatively ____________________ frequencies. ANS: low 5. To analyze a transmission line, it is necessary to use ____________________ parameters instead of lumped ones. ANS: distributed 6. The increase of a wire's resistance with frequency is called the ____________________ effect. ANS: skin 7. The increase of a wire's resistance with frequency is caused by the ____________________ field inside the wire. ANS: magnetic 8. Dielectrics become more ____________________ as the frequency increases. ANS: lossy 9. The inductance and capacitance of a cable are given per unit ____________________. ANS: length

10. Characteristic impedance is sometimes called ____________________ impedance. ANS: surge 11. A cable that is terminated in its characteristic impedance is called a ____________________ line. ANS: matched 12. A pulse sent down a cable terminated in a short-circuit will reflect with the ____________________ polarity. ANS: opposite 13. The apparently stationary pattern of waves on a mismatched cable is called a ____________________ wave. ANS: standing 14. SWR stands for ____________________-wave ratio. ANS: standing 15. The ideal value for SWR is ____________________. ANS: one 16. Transmission line impedances can be found using a ____________________ chart. ANS: Smith 17. Short transmission-line sections called ____________________ can be used as capacitors or inductors. ANS: stubs 18. Any cable that radiates energy can also ____________________ energy. ANS: absorb 19. A ____________________-dB loss in a cable means only half the power sent reaches the load. ANS: 3 20. It is often best to measure SWR at the ____________________ end of a cable. ANS: load 21. Besides heat from I2R, the power a cable can carry is limited by the ____________________ voltage of its dielectric.

ANS: breakdown 22. To normalize an impedance on a Smith Chart, you divide it by ____________________. ANS: Z0 23. The ____________________ of a Smith Chart always represents the characteristic impedance. ANS: center 24. A ____________________ wavelength transmission line can be used a transformer. ANS: one-quarter 25. A slotted line is used to make measurements in the ____________________ domain. ANS: frequency SHORT ANSWER 1. A transmission line has 2.5 pF of capacitance per foot and 100 nH of inductance per foot. Calculate its characteristic impedance. ANS: Z0 = 200 ohms 2. Two wires with air as a dielectric are one inch apart. The diameter of the wire is .04 inch. Calculate, approximately, its characteristic impedance. ANS: 386 ohms 3. If a coaxial cable uses plastic insulation with a dielectric constant r = 2.6 , what is the velocity factor for the cable? ANS: 0.62 4. If a cable has a velocity factor of 0.8, how long would it take a signal to travel 3000 kilometers along the cable? ANS: 12.5 ms 5. If a cable has a velocity factor of 0.8, what length of cable is required for a 90 phase shift at 100 MHz? ANS: 0.6 meters 6. A cable has a VSWR of 10. If the minimum voltage along the cable is 20 volts, what is the maximum voltage along the cable?

ANS: 200 volts 7. A lossless line has a characteristic impedance of 50 ohms, but is terminated with a 75-ohm resistive load. What SWR do you expect to measure? ANS: 1.5 8. If a cable has an SWR of 1.5, what will be the absolute value of its voltage coefficient of reflection? ANS: 0.2 9. A generator matched to a line with a voltage coefficient of reflection equal to 0.2 transmits 100 watts into the line. How much power is actually absorbed by the load? ANS: 96 watts 10. Using a Smith Chart to analyze a 50-ohm cable, what would be the normalized value of an impedance equal to 200 + j50 ohms? ANS: 4 + j1