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Barker & Williamson (B&W) MEL 20, 20 Meter Plug in Band Coil Used in Excellent Condition #2

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MPN:
MEL
Condition:
Used
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$22.99
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Description

Barker & Williamson (B&W) MEL 20, 20 Meter Plug in Band Coil Used in Excellent Condition #2

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The Barker & Williamson (B&W) MEL coil set refers to a vintage series of air-wound "Air Inductor" End Linked, plug-in coils from the mid-20th century (1940s–1960s era), designed for amateur radio transmitting applications. These were non-variable link types (unlike TVL/JVL with adjustable links), often used in tank circuits, pi-networks, antenna tuners, or exciters for band-switching in vintage ham gear.The MEL series (sometimes labeled as "Type MEL" or "Mel" on the coil) features:
  • Air-wound tinned copper wire embedded in rigid plastic rib supports for high Q (efficiency), good mechanical strength, and moderate power handling (typically 100–300W range, depending on setup and band).
  • Plug-in ceramic or plastic bases with banana plugs for easy insertion into coil sockets.
  • Compact to medium size, optimized for HF amateur bands (e.g., 10m short/low-inductance coils; longer/higher-turn for 80m).
  • No adjustable/variable link—fixed primary coil design, often for direct tank or fixed-coupling use.
  • Common band-specific models like 10 MEL (10-meter), 20 MEL (20-meter), etc., sometimes collected in sets for multi-band coverage (similar to TVL/JVL/BVL lines but in a simpler, possibly lower-cost "Mel" variant).
These are distinct from B&W's modern Airdux™ TL (polycarbonate rod-supported, high-power) or Miniductor™ lines, and from the plug-in series like JVL (Junior Variable Link), TVL (Transmitting Variable Link), BVL, or HDVL (Heavy Duty). MEL coils appear less commonly documented in catalogs but show up in vintage ham estates and old ads as reliable, attractive rigid inductors with conservative ratings.They remain collectible among vintage radio restorers for homebrew projects, matching classic transmitters, or completing plug-in coil sets.
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