3kW CCS Open-Wire & Coax Bleeder — Protect Your Transceiver

Static buildup is the silent killer of tuners, rigs, and feedlines — especially on antennas that are not DC grounded. That includes doublets and monoband inverted-V antennas, but also ¼-wave verticals with an insulated base, end-fed antennas fed through transformers, and many other installations where the radiator can “float” at DC. Our Open-Wire Bleeder and Coax/Vertical Bleeder provide a controlled DC path to ground plus surge clamping, without becoming a meaningful RF load.

(If your antenna is already DC grounded at the feedpoint — for example a grounded-tower vertical or a deliberate DC short via a matching method — you may not need a bleeder for static, but a proper entrance-panel lightning/surge solution is still recommended.)

Where This Bleeder Is Used

• Open-wire fed doublets (including inverted-V and flat-top variants)
• ¼-wave verticals where the radiator is DC-isolated at the base (insulated base, matching network, capacitive coupling, etc.)
• End-fed antennas where the feed method does not provide a reliable DC path to earth
• Any non-DC grounded antenna that can accumulate charge in wind, dry air, snow, or nearby storm conditions

Key Features

• Handles continuous HF power ≥3 kW from 160–10 m
• Balanced DC bleed (open-wire version): Dual 1 MΩ / 10 W resistors — one per leg for symmetrical static drain
• Unbalanced DC bleed (coax/vertical version): High-value DC path from radiator (“hot”) to shield/ground (radial plate / earth)
• Resistor rating: 12 kV each → 24 kV headroom systemwide
• GDT (2.7 kV, 5 kA) for lightning and surge clamping
• 6.8 nF / 6 kV capacitor for transient control
• High-voltage anti-creepage design: PTFE wire, PTFE spacers, HV coating & gaskets
• Available in open-wire or coaxial versions (PL or N connectors)

Performance

The bleeder network is designed to be RF-transparent across 160 m to 10 m, while still providing a solid DC discharge path for static. In normal HF operation, the limiting factors are the 2.7 kV GDT threshold and the 6 kV capacitor rating, both far beyond what a correctly installed HF station produces under typical operating conditions (including moderate mismatch).

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