A planar balun including first and second spaced parallel elongated conductors on one surface of a ceramic, plastic, polymer, synthetic fiber or a composite substrate and a third elongated conductor on a second surface of the substrate opposite from the first and second conductors. The spacing from an outer edge of each of the first and second conductors to an outer edge of the third conductor being greater than the thickness of the ceramic substrate, and the spacing between the two parallel elongated conductors being greater than ##EQU1## The substrate is mounted on a metallic support plate which provides a ground plane spaced from the third conductor by a distance t2 in an atmosphere comprising air with the distance t2 being greater than ##EQU2## An input of the balun is at one end of the first and second conductors and an output of the balun is at the other end of the first and second conductors. One end of the third elongated conductor on the second surface is grounded to force a balance at the two outputs.