[TowerTalk] Antenna Forum, Dayton ?

[Jim Reid]

Bill posted this thought:

> There seems to be  little being reported about the 
> antenna forum and Bests talk. The lack of reporting 
> can be good or bad- just leaves me ( and
> others, I'll bet) puzzled about the situation.
> 
> Anyone care to give a report- good, bad, or ugly ?

Ok,  I was there,  but late.  I wrote up the following yesterday,
and could elaborate.  Note that no comments/questions
from the floor were "allowed"  following Best's,  nor any
other talk during the forum;  seemed odd to me.  I did
talk with Steve at the Cushcraft booth an hour or so
following his talk,  as reported below.

Another disappointment,  was that Tom (W8JI) Rausch's talk
was cancelled;  evidently Tom had an injury and could
not make the trip,  phooey!!

"Back from Dayton,  and after 4AM  unable to stay asleep!
Anyway,  had a very nice,  but shortened time in Dayton;
weather and closure of O'Hare field in Chicago on Thursday,
caused me to miss most of Friday,  didn't get to the
Hamvention until about 3:30 that afternoon.

The most important event  for me was to be attending the
Antenna Forum Friday afternoon to both hear and meet
some of the guys with whom I have discussed on the
antenna/tower talk/ amp  reflectors.  Really wanted to
hear Steve Best of Cushcraft.  As I at last got to Hara
Arena,  and found the forum room,  Steve had just put
up his Summary Slide and I heard him say,  "Now,  in
conclusion........."!  However,  later in the afternoon,  I
found Steve at the Cushcraft booth,  with his by then
very tired son,  of around 11 or so years age.  We had
an absolutely super time,  became,  I think  friends,
and promised to keep in touch, and in less heated or
perhaps belligerent tone of contact,  hi.  That seemed
to have passed anyway in the days before I left for
Dayton,  as I was busy collecting a lot of power,  voltage,
and Z data and emailing it off to Steve.  He asked me to
perform an entire data set collection at 7.088 mHz,  where
my dipole has a vswr of about 2.9:1,  so of course,  I use
a tuner.  Won't repeat all that here,  but sure enough,  I
found the conjugate match between the tuner output and
the transmission line,  and was able to collect each piece
of voltage,  power,  and Z data Steve needed to demonstrate
the validity of his equations developed to "explain" the
behavior of the antenna "system"  in this sort of situation.

We also chatted a bit about his relationship with Walt
Maxwell.  Steve wants to meet and talk with Walt somehow,
and he did say he has had no intention of harming Walt's
previous work,  nor the old nor new editions of Walt's book
about to be published by Worldradio,  "Reflections 2".

(The lady,  who was working so hard at the Worldradio
booth,  told my that Reflections 2 was still a few months
from actual publications.)

Steve is very sincere and warm in his remarks about the
situation viz a viz  Walt.  The man genuinely feels that he
has had no intention of impugning   Walt's life time of 
work!  But he does feel that some of Walt's statements are 
inaccurate.  Steve told me he longs to sit with Walt some
where,  sometime to  "clear the air" and  "mend fences".

Walt has sent to me,  in personal e-mails,  a long list of
times when he has felt his work was "slighted" by Steve's
statements in various publications.  I sincerely believe that
if the two guys would sit together somewhere,  perhaps a
"meeting of the minds" and some understanding would occur!

I actually now believe what each is saying is true;  one is 
talking about apples, in apple language, the other oranges
in orange language!  The language and concepts of
viewing are what differ,  but truth is in both,  at least
that is my belief.  Clearly,  they both come out in the
end with what seem to be the same and correct answers, hi.

I expect as a result of posting this note,  that both Steve and
Walt will be in contact with me.  Unfortunately,  Walt is
unable to post directly to the reflector.  He has sent much
material to me over the past several years;  and I respect
and admire every word of it!!  I would not,  and will never do
nor say anything with which I would intentionally or inadvertently
harm either Walt or Steve.  They are both excellent fellows,
and as many,  many extremely bright guys do,  they have
areas in which they disagree!!  I certainly saw that in my
Physics Seminars at Stanford decades ago!!  Especially the
rivalry of interpretations of things quantum between Cal and
the Stanford department professors,  hi.

I spent time with the ARRL forums,  hearing both Dave
Sumner, Exec.VP, K1ZZ,  and Jim Haynie, W5JBP
the ARRL President.  Dave's presentation was about the
future, as he sees it of amateur radio to about 2020;
and Jim's talk was largely about a program he is planning
to impact the middle school age young folks to generate
interest/enthusiasm for amateur radio.  A shocking statement,
by one in the audience,  was made that in New York,  serious
discussion in now on-going to drop science classes from
middle schools,  just as music and some Phys. Ed.  has
already been eliminated.  The proposal is to drop the
general science classes;  replace them with reading
remedial and improvement courses!!!  The most important
aspect of amateur radio in 2020,  per Sumner:  it will
still be lots of FUN.

Dave had just returned on Friday from Istanbul where he is
attending the four week WRC conference.  Two highlights he
reported from there:  several nation's reps to the conference
had already spoken of the value of amateur radio in there
countries during recent past emergency/disaster situations,
and spoke of the need to "protect"  spectrum,  etc.  for
these folks.  And this seems to have increased the probability
that the 7 mHz  re-location/"harmonization"  issue could become a
formal agenda item for WRC 2003;  Dave cautioned that
that agenda will not be made firm until,  I think he said,  June
2nd.  as one of the final acts of this year's conference.  Dave
was to fly back to Istanbul today.

Well,  those are some of the highlights I thought might be
of possible interest to you folks.  There was much more,
however,  this note is already probably too long!"

73,  Jim,  KH7M







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