[CQ-Contest] 100 Watt power limit for Sprints-Discuss

[Tom W8JI]

limited to qrp levels.... all these make it tuff to "level" the field. The 
erp of an antenna is a good point, that is often overlooked, and so it the 
takeoff angle. >>>

Antennas don't have ERP. Complete systems have ERP. It would take me about a 
day to reasonably know the ERP of just one antenna, and that would apply to 
one azimuth direction and elevation angle. :-)

Also, take off angle is meaningless. When Roy Lewallen was writing EZnec he 
talked to me often about not even including TOA because he was sure it would 
mislead people. It was included, to my understanding, because another 
program had it. When you hear people focus on takeoff angle, it is a flag 
they may not be looking at the right thing.

Gain doesn't have absolute meaning either, by itself. The most important 
goals are not forcing nulls at useful angles while obtaining maximum gain 
over the useful range of angles in the desired directions.

What really matters is absolute gain over the desired range of angles.

I can have a five stack and be at a decided disadvantage to a station with a 
dipole, or have dozens of dB advantage.

What the rule really should be is a ban on anything but half wave dipoles 
and verticals, and nothing can be within one wavelength of any dipole or 
vertical. Now you have everyone on an essentially equal antenna footing.

I'd wager most hams, if we test the general population, don't even know how 
to use a power meter correctly to measure power. Now we want to analyze 
patterns or antenna performance to force equality?

73 Tom