[TenTec] Re: Rudimentary SWR question...

[aa4nu at ix.netcom.com]

>In fact, why don't *you* invest in Roy's program and judge the validity of
>these - to you - debatable matters for yourself. Might be some surprises in
>there . . . give you something to do during the coming sunspot lull.

>I really do have a pretty good idea how those wires in the trees work,
>Billy, and mine work very well.

Come on George, What ... Can't stand the heat?  B-)

Before you play the dodge card here, look again at YOUR WORDS:

"It turns out that any wire antenna that is at least 0.3 wavelengths long
on a given band will radiate a signal whose strength is almost immeasurably
different from that of a half-wave dipole."

ANY wire antenna?  ANY? That a VERY broad sweeping statement to make.

You are telling me that a vertical oriented 0.3w wire hung in a tree, and 
fed at it's base ... or even in it's center via a tuner ... will "radiate a signal
whose strength is almost immeasureably different from that of a half-wave
dipole?" ... YOU need to go back to the books, and rethink that statement.

Or let's say a 0.3w wire antenna, fed at the center, horizontal at 0.5w above
ground, compared with a 0.5w wire antenna, at 1.0w above ground ... the
signal radiated may NOT be the same for any given wave angle. The 0.5w will
have nulls where the 1.0w antenna has peaks ... NOW defend you statement,
as Roy, LB, etc. ... and "the books" all support what I have just typed ...

Instead if you want to be specific as to comparing say one 0.3w antenna, fed in
the center mounted at 0.8234w high against one 0.5w <half-wave dipole>
also at 0.8234w high ... your statement can be accurate. The only loss will be
that of the loading method used, which if the Q is high, should be low. 

Ah, but that is NOT what you posted ... you said "ANY" ... now didn't you?
And that's how the "old wives tales" get started, by statements such as that ...

Actually I have been using Roy's and others programs since day one, and my 
point was your broad sweeping statements ... such as"work very well" is a very 
vague opinion ... I'll wrap this one up, by agreeing with your own words stated 
accurately above ... "debatable matters" ... only if you ignore the basic rules as
many have posted here over a long period of time, and easily found confirmed
in the various textbooks of amateur and academic nature.

73 Billy AA4NU  ... who hopes to be working on his 160m 4x array during the next sunspot lull.