[TowerTalk] Gain Is a Function of Boom Length - True and Not True

[Bryan Rambo]

I believe N0AX's statement to be true.  Thanks Ward!

A corollary:
No amount of clever engineering in areas of element interaction, feed
efficiency, tuning networks (i.e. - traps), impedance matching gadgetry,
etc. can make up for a short boom.

True?

73 - Bryan W4WMT

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Ward Silver
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 12:19 PM
To: Towertalk Reflector
Subject: [TowerTalk] Gain Is a Function of Boom Length - True and Not
True


It is true that in the absence of other factors, maximum gain is a function
of boom length.  However, in a multi-band antenna, secondary factors
strongly affect how much gain can actually be realized in the final product,
such as mechanical limitations, element interaction, feed efficiency, tuning
networks (i.e. - traps), impedance matching gadgetry, etc.  Some designs
work better than others not because they have discovered news laws of
physics, but because they account for these secondary factors better.  And
that was the point of the tribander tests (and the vertical tests) - to
compare the implementations.

Are the tests "scientific"?  In the sense of making absolute measurements of
all parameters in a fashion traceable to NIST references, no.  This is
unreasonable to expect within the resources of the amateur community.  In
the sense of presenting the test protocol, the test data, and all data
processing methodology, yes, the report is scientific.  Others may present
criticism (and have done so) and are encouraged to attempt to disprove or
replicate any of our conclusions.  The reports are the better for those
contributions.

73, Ward N0AX


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