Tom,
I beg to disagree. I have been involved in these discussions many, many times -
and I've heard this argument all too often. Fortunately for all of us, it is an
argument that doesn't hold water. There is another very important element that
is very frequently overlooked:
INNOVATION
Innovation is the element that permits a few smart people to walk away from
such traditional thinking, go to a venture capital firm and get the funding to
produce a more functional and higher quality result in less time and with less
money. Then they proceed to put the guys who are stuck thinking about the
triangle out of business.
How about an example we can all relate to [helpful in justifying this thread
running so long on this reflector]:
Challenge: Build a tribander that has better bandwidth, more power-handling
capability, higher gain, higher strength.
Traditional 'Triangle' Thinking: Results in bigger traps, more elements, more
guying of the boom, etc. All this at a higher manufacturing cost, added
complexity and huge amounts of incremental design engineering time and cost.
Follows the 'triangle' theory perfectly.
Innovative Thinking: Results in open-sleeve designs - with inherently wider
bandwidth, no capacitors or inductors to dissipate power, no reductions in
element size (limiting gain and b/w). Also results in new approaches to
mechanical construction to handle wind - smaller element diameters, less
aluminum. Reduced parts count, simpler electrical design and less aluminum
yields lower cost while delivering higher reliability and higher performance.
Lessons for everyone:
1. Marketing people: Tell engineers the RESULTS you want - not how to build it.
But don't be bound to incremental improvements. Ask for the world - you just
might get it.
2. Engineers: Know about new methods and technologies. Use them! INNOVATE! Take
risk - propose what HASN'T been done before, not minor changes in what's
already been done.
I'm sure there are those of you who will find ways to rationalize that this
thinking can't be right . . . until you discover an incredible innovation of
your own that breaks all the perceived rules! Good luck . . . hope you find it
soon!
73,
Jim
>I saw an engineering cartoon once shaped as a triangle. The three sides were
labeled:
COST
QUALITY
TIME
The caption read: PICK TWO !
That pretty well sums up the tradeoffs in most projects, whether they be
Towers, Antennas, or Transmission Lines, and keeps TowerTalk alive with debate!
de Tom N4KG
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