[TenTec] Bazooka antenna.. More than you wanted to know!

[Stuart Rohre]

Jim,
I had a similar anomalous propagation observation about an Off Center 
Fed half wave emulating, vertical I tested.  I got short skip 
simultaneously on 20m SSB with long skip for a long night.  With good 
signals for both.   Almost anything can happen in short wave radio when 
the conditions are good. 

Have you read the L. B. Cebik, W4RNL, web site on Bazooka Antenna 
studies he did using the more powerful antenna modeling programs?  His 
work is very trustworthy and thorough.  It agrees with long published 
text book studies of fat antennas, and losses in antennas. 

We all know coax is more lossy than parallel lines.  Even when used in 
an antenna element, coax would have a loss tangent due to the 
dielectric.  On the up side, it makes the antenna less long than bare 
wire types.  As with any antenna, there are tradeoffs.
Unfortunately, the cost per foot for Bazooka, and the wind loading are 
downsides for my location.

I may try one sometime from parallel line like 450 ohm, or even make my 
own wide spaced elements or cage elements of wire.  That might make the 
ultimate Bazooka, low loss, and low wind loading.

73,
Stuart
K5KVH