[TenTec] Antenna OT

[Ken Brown]

Strange how hams like to name antennas. And strange how many hams are 
stuck on the notion that if it is a nice 50 ohm load it is a good antenna.

> A German ham (he's on the Ten-Tec reflector or the Eagle reflector), DJ5IL,
> has pattended a "Shortened End-Fed Dipole".

If it is end fed, then it is NOT a dipole! It might use one end of the 
dipole as a feed line, and feed it near the center and then be a dipole. 
In that case it is not end fed.
>
> This is significant, because:
> *	It needs NO RADIALS
> *	Being a half wavelength long (electrically), it is completely ground
> independent.  You won't have ground losses due to not enough radials.  
> *	
Sorry this is a fantasy. Any antenna near the ground (meaning within a 
wavelength or so) will induce some currents in the ground, and have 
ground losses. If the high current portion of the antenna is less than a 
quarter wavelength above ground the ground losses are probably 
significant, unless the ground is a salt marsh or a good radial field. 
Sure you can make a vertical with no radials, that has a low SWR when 
fed with 50 ohm (or other) coax. Low SWR does not necessarily mean low 
loss.

DE N6KB