Every ham needs at least one 50-ohm dummy load. I built the Ken K4EAA 50 ohm load exactly as he designed it. I started off using two 1N4148 diodes for the built-in power measurement circuitry and eventually replaced them with a single BAV21 diode. The only problem I have had with the load is that it sometimes "sweats" mineral oil, even though I applied silicone bathroom caulk around the connector joints. Still, this load has served me well.