Impedance matching vs. balun

Part II discusses bal to unbal, attached.

A good, back-to-the-basics read, thank you. Still can't give myself an answer though.

Page 32, 33 cover balanced to single ended, attached.

ugh, yes... let me rephrase what I would like to understand -

When a balun is required, for the sub-GHz ISM bands, the majority of application notes / other internet resources are talking about balun + impedance matching network (pi / tee / sometimes L). My question: why not balun + single reactive element that cancels source's reactance ?

Could it be because too high of a quality factor with only one such reactive element ?

The requirements depend on the type of antenna.

A half wave dipole, for a narrow frequency range, is easy to match. You can use a tuned length of coax, or a stub.

Examples:

A quarter wave vertical with radials can be end fed, it's about 36 Ohms with the radials horizontal - or pretty close to 50 Ohms with re radials angled down 45'

Broad band matching is slightly more complex, but still not all that difficult. A simple ferrite transformer is very effective at lower frequencies for both impedance and balance/unbalanced conversions.