Fwd: TopBand: Slinky / SCIENCE

[W2pm@aol.com]

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Forwarded message:
Subj:    Re: TopBand: Slinky / SCIENCE
Date:    97-08-06 07:50:02 EDT
From:    W2pm
To:      ni6t@best.com

I hope all of you wont ever walk the other way if you see me at Dayton or
something for starting this thread!!

Re the need to explain the theory and analyze in a scientific way I agree
that is sorely lacking in our "scientific" hobby and nearly all the magazine
and publications are guilty.  We need more Bill Orr's and Lew McCoys.

Re the Slinkly Beverage issue and experimenting no where has it appeared even
in articles dating back to the 30's the objective performance goals of this
antenna. Improving the signal to noise ratio is the bottom line, of course,
but there are many ways to that end.  I think its important to know just HOW
each way works and why. For example. regardless of the esoteric technical
characteristics (which are important supporting factors) the specific
performance behavior of a Beverage of any type has seldom been reviewed. No
where have I seen it mentioned that the Bev improves the SN ratio by a
combination of azimuthal and elevational directivity. Noise comes from a
specific direction (s) and arrives an angles different from (in some cases)
than inbound DX signals. 

There are lots of magic stories in ham radio:  Quad vs Yagi, LDE's, the G5RV
stuff, etc.  Most of the times the "information" recited in our literature
never discusses these performance behavior in an objective sense which
contributes to the quality of lack thereof of the device which spawns a whole
ration of old wives tales.  

By the way, when not selling high technology, DXing, collection keys and
dealing with my family I teach cooking (for relaxation) and one of the
students stopped me when I used that term Old Wives Tale and observed that
most Old Wives Tales were started by old men.  That seems very true in ham
radio and as a student of amateur radio history can tell you it has ALWAYS
been the case from the beginning.  I have a classic orig letter in my
collection from the chief engineer of KDKA in 1930's written to a now old
buzzard ham friend explaining a double extended zepp in a great deal of
technical depth and he makes an interesting comment:

Dont listen to the "experts" at your club house. Most hams are just fooling
around with this stuff and its all snake oil to them.  If you want to learn
about radio, son, study the sciences and not the stories ..."

73 Pete, W2PM  (trouble maker)

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