Topband: Horizontal vs Vertical Radiators

[Tom Rauch]

> other inverted L type (BENT) verltical/horizontal radiators.  These
> simple radiators combining elements of both polarization types do seem
> to work quite well from various locations around the world - whether
> they be high or low lattitude spots

When you mix a vertical and horizontal antenna without phase 
quadrature in the fields (which gives circular polarization), the 
result is still a single polarization.

It may be skewed or tilted, but it is a single polarization. 

We often form the wrong mental picture of what actually happens 
because Eznec and other modelling programs only express the field in 
two distinct polarizations. We wrongly picture two distinct fields. 
The actual field is the vector sum of the two fields, and is a single 
polarization wave with a tilt and a distinct total null at 90-degrees 
from the peak response. 

With an inverted L 1/4 wl radiator, there is almost **zero** 
radiation at all from the horizontal section at any wave angle. What 
little radiation there is from the flat top goes almost straight up, 
and is all but useless for anything but contacts within a few hundred 
miles. The horizontal high angle radiation is very much attenuated, 
so much it is insignificant.
  73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com