Topband: broadbanding an L

[dennis o'connor]

OK, I'll play the bad guy here - IT CAN"T BE DONE, period! And I am 
going to challenge those who claim it can be done, to "fish or cut 
bait." More on that in a minute..

The man asked what changes he could make to his inverted L to make it 
cover the entire 160 band without having to use matching networks, 
tuners, etc... And, voila, we get regaled with tales of magic towers 
and tees that cover the whole band, well of course, there is a network 
involved, and of course there is a magic pair of open wire feeders 
parallel to the tower, and of course there was snow on the branches, 
and of course, etc., etc., ... That is all wonderful for the few who 
have such a critter, but it doesn't answer the man's question, guys..

I do not have Tom's expertise in things RF, but I am conversant with 
the antenna literature of ham radio, and no such antenna has been 
published - and if it had been published and actually worked, we would 
all have one in our back yard...
Nor does my personal experience show me that it can be done... Tom may 
even remember my adventures with my underwater dipole, and others, and 
my quarter wave vertical, folded monopole with different wire diameters 
for impedence transformation.. While I had fun with the folded monopole 
antenna and it was broader band than a single vertical, it was not the 
answer to a maidens prayer...

So, the challenge #1... Now, take my challenge in the spirit it is 
intended... I am smiling as I type this, so those who are wanting a 
flame war need not apply...
Describe, or diagram, for me how you will mechanically alter the 
original author's inverted L antenna to make it cover the entire 160 
band with SWR below 1.5:1... Heck, I'll be generous and even give you 
2.0:1... Post your creation here and I guarantee if it works you will 
be published, and applauded, in the ham literature... (don't even think 
of using a resistor and claiming you won)

After you have overheated your brain, and fried EzNec, trying to do 
that and give up, then challenge #2 is to do the same, but I will allow 
a single, fixed network at the feed point... One fixed coil and one 
fixed capacitor (no variable elements, no multiple paralleled caps, 
coils. etc., no mechanical or electrical switching per the original 
request for help)

Have at it guys...

Denny - "Full power to the shield Mr. Sulu."

----------------------------------------------
Mailblocks - A Better Way to Do Email
http://about.mailblocks.com/info