Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 100, Issue 26

[steve.root at culligan4water.com]

Tree said: 

"One thing to think about in this discussion - is where the current "goes"
as it diminishes as you work your way along a 1/4 wave wire (let's not
bring the inductor into it just now for this discussion). I have never
really thought about this - but one of our signal integrity engineers
quickly said "return current". "

If Tree connects his transmitter to a quarterwave vertical and sends some power down the feed line, and then 1000 miles away I hear something, amplify it, and hear him in my headphones, that tells me something left his antenna and made it all the way to the other side of the Black Hole (Minnesota). Eneregy has to leave an antenna or it isn't doing anything we would find usefull, right? In other words, if you can account for every joule of energy flowing in your antenna by looking at return current then I'm not going to hear you. Unless I'm full of beans, which has been known to happen.

73 Steve K0SR