[TowerTalk] Petrezewski (sp?) array ..
John Kaufmann
john.w1fv@telocity.com
6 Apr 2001 14:10:10 -0700
On Fri, 06 April 2001, "Maurizio Panicara" wrote:
>
> I didn't actually calculate it, but in open or shorted lines (stubs) used as
> inductances or capacitors there are extra losses that finally decrease the
> circulating current in the parasitic element, expecially if the line is a
> low impedance coax.
> This loss is not so evident on 160m but exists and is surely bigger in
> coaxial cables than with open wire lines, increasing quite rapidly with
> frequency.
> For maximizing gain and directivity it's convenient to reradiate all the
> energy from a parasitic element and so it's better to design an added
> reactance of this kind taking care to use the shortest lenght of cable that
> produces the desired inductance or capacitance.
>
> 73,
> Mauri I4JMY
>
This is a very good point that is often forgotten when using open or short-circuited coaxial stubs as reactive elements. These stubs operate with infinite SWR and as a result, the line losses are MUCH higher than they would be for a line with 1:1 SWR. The net result is that the impedance presented by the stub back to the antenna can contain a large series resistive component. The ARRL Antenna Handbook contains a section which discusses how to use the Smith Chart to calculate the amount of resistance with a lossy line. When you plug this resistance into an antenna modeling program, you might be surprised how much it can degrade the gain of a parasitic array.
Incidentally, to set the record straight, "Petrezewski" is really Dave Pietraszewski, K1WA. Back in the 1960's I lived in the same town as him when he was K1THQ. He designed this sloper system as a research project in his student days at WPI and had one running for 40 meters at his QTH. He (or maybe it was K1ZZ, then K1ZND, who operated from THQ's place) won DX Contests back then with what now would be considered a rather modest antenna farm. However, I haven't heard K1WA on the air for years now.
73, John W1FV
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