Topband: Models and the real world

[W2pm at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/30/2006 9:14:22 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
gswynar at durham.net writes:

Case in  point: when was the last time you saw anything that was truly
in-depth, or  enticing, in the "Results" paragraph of any antenna article
that you've  read in the past ten years? It seems that the authors of such
pieces prefer  to splash their literary efforts with lots of
computer-generated graphs  & radiation projections supporting the premise(s)
of their designs ---  but when it comes to actual, "hands on / real world"
results (the stuff  that actually compells you to go out & raise a similar
antenna of your  own), they fall flat...

In the matter of antenna experts, I'll take to  heart first what the guy with
the skinned knuckles & burnt finger-tips  has to say, over most anything that
the guy with carpel-tunnel(sp?)  syndrome in his wrists might offer...!

~73~ Eddy VE3CUI -  VE3XZ



The concept you express is true in a certain perspective, however, modeling  
is often nothing more than the basic physics applied without regard to the 
real  world situation - which will vary from each QTH to the other. So like the 
ideal  station configurations and antenna's ON4UN recites in his books - which 
are not  real practical or attainable for many of us - the fact is they are 
standards by  which you can judge your experimental "burnt finger" approaches.  
In other  words another source of information - theoretical, yes - but at 
least that's a  constant for intelligent comparisons.  I do lots of experimenting 
with rx  and tx antennas here - probably 75% of my total ham radio time - but 
I save a  lot of wasted effort and time avoiding silly things which can't work 
(or only  work because of flukes) because of the modelling tools. Another 
advantage is for  someone like me who is not a antenna expert or engineer, the 
models provide a  sort of pre-digested theory giving me the sensitivities and 
ignoring the math  and other esoterics ..   73 and HNY to all - someone push 
some good  ionosphere over the east coast here for me ..!!