[TenTec] New and Improved Terminology (NVIS origins)

[Rsoifer at aol.com]

Hi all,
 
The technology has been around at least since WW2, but the question is: who 
 first used the term NVIS to describe it, and when.  Other than the fact  
that QEX began publishing in 1981 (I was a subscriber), I don't have a  clue.
 
73 Ray W2RS
 
 
In a message dated 1/3/2011 10:03:24 P.M. GMT Standard Time,  
rohre at arlut.utexas.edu writes:

Much of  the discussion on NVIS term origin has been handled before on 
the NVIS  reflector.

The British were using NVIS in Malaya during the Emergency  there, from 
the post world war II time to 1963 and in governement dept.  comms in 
1967.  Later from the Malayan armed forces uses, US Forces  were 
experimenting with it in Viet Nam jungle conditions; as the Brits  found 
it worked so well in jungle communications, especially around 4 MHz.  
The terminology may not have been used in its earliest days being called  
"short range HF comms" instead.

The Germans were certainly using it  in WW2.  Their command vehicles had 
a grid or frame antenna  structure, low enough to clear low trees, but 
most likely single wire fed  from the pictures we can find on the web. 
Thus, the "antenna" was a kind  of tuned almost isotropic radiator. But 
since it had considerable  horizontal radiating parts, it clearly 
activated an NVIS mode, perhaps the  low antenna was more of a 
convenience over whips when transiting  forests.

-Stuart  Rohre
K5KVH

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