The roller inductor is the beating heart of any fine grained antenna tuner. The Blue Ridge Amateur Radio roller inductor is an air-core based inductor that has a value range of 250nH to 16uH with a Q (quality factor) of 800+. Each inductor core is constructed using plexiglas endplates and a new 3rd generation machined plexiglass core. The new core for our 3rd generation roller has a wall thickness of 1/4 inch and each core is professionally machined with a CNC based lathe to high precision standards. Our 2nd generation core used 3D printed materials for the core, which we found to be unreliable, subject to heat issues and not up to the standards that we require.

Each end of the inductor rides on ball bearings for smooth operation. The RF contactor that connects the front RF connector to the spinning core is our own design. We use H314 electrical grade brass (with a high copper content) for our 3rd generation contactor and slip ring. The new design on the 3rd generation roller never needs adjustment, even if you take the inductor completely apart. Our new winding technigue guarantees that the coil is wound tightly around the core, which eliminates coil movement as the roller wheel passes from end to end.

The 3rd Generation design includes a new roller axle and pivot arm design. This design allows the axel to be spring tensioned for even force distrubution of the wheel over the length of the coil. These rollers truly are a labor of love and we believe we have the best roller inductor produced in the US today.

 Our 3rd Generation roller inductor discards the 3D printed core from the 2nd Generation roller in favor of a brand new extruded Plexiglass core that has a 1/4 inch wall thickness. Plexglass is far better at handling heat that would otherwise ruin a 3D printed for almost instantly. These new cores are professionally machined to include an Acme style thread that the 10 gauge wire coil rides in. The result is a roller that has incredibly smooth operation with zero runout.