[TowerTalk] Re: radials for shunt fed tower

[Tom Rauch]

In a cursory reading of K3LC's radial article, I found two
data points that seem counter-intuitive to me.>>

Bud,

Behavior of RF systems near a complex non-homogeneous media
can often be counter-intuitive.

Everyone constantly loses touch with the fact that the very
worse place to depend on a model is estimating loss with
conductors near earth.

Instead of measuring things, we tend to use models that are
lucky to be within 5dB to calculate .1dB changes.

I think it's all a gigantic waste of time and energy to
consider any or all models of conductors in or near earth
unless the results are verified in the real world. We
already know that with 50-60 radials 1/4 wl long the
efficiency will be in the 90 percent range. Unless copper
was $50 a pound, why would care about saving a few percent
on material?

73 Tom