[TowerTalk] vertical antenna ground loss

[Steve Hunt]

Dennis,

EZNEC modelling certainly doesn't confirm what you are saying.

I just modelled a 40m horizontal half-wave 33ft above average ground - 
the optimum take-off angle was 66 degrees. Then I modelled a 
quarter-wave vertical over 16 quarter-wave ground mounted radials - the 
optimum take-off angle was 26 degrees. But, plot these on a common scale 
and you'll see there's hardly any difference at low take-off angles:

http://www.karinya.net/g3txq/vert_vs_dipole.png

 From 20 degrees upwards the dipole beats the vertical, which would 
confirm your "short skip" comment; but what in these figures suggests 
the vertical will be so much superior for DX ?

Steve G3TXQ

Dennis OConnor wrote:
> The word picture (and diagrams) of the 'missing half 'of a dipole antenna going down into the ground is a device to help visualization of how the induced ground currents act to complete the return current flow for a quarter wave monopole (vertical)... It is not what is actually happening in the generated EM field underneath the vertical...  I can assure you that a 160 meter quarter wave monopole does not have an image 130 feet down into the dirt and rocks,...
> An elevated ground plane antenna also has radials just like a ground mounted vertical yet we do not see authors repeatedly claiming that there is an image of half a dipole forming below the radials - though some do, must be what they are smoking...
>  
> Next, the 'poor performance' of vertical antennas is grounded in the lack of knowledge of those making such claims...  
> Lets us discuss two antennas for 40 meters... A half wave DIPOLE hung horizontally a quarter wave above ground - and a quarter wave MONOPOLE (vertical), ground mounted...  
> Now, the dipole has that wonderful 4dB of reflection gain (or whatever your favorite fantasy dB number is) giving is something in the 6dBi range...... 
> And the poor, tired vertical has a ground loss of xxx dB (pick your favorite fantasy dB number) and no reflection gain so it is struggling along at 1.25 dBi (or some such - you pick it)...
> So now, Joe Ham wants to talk to his friend Bob, 175 miles away.... On the dipole Joe is booming in at Bob's qth, and on the vertical Bob can barely hear him... Yup, it just proves that verticals radiate equally poorly on all directions...
> Later that day Joe hears a DX station on a tiny rock in the middle of that antarctic ocean exactly half way around the world from his shack (the antipode)...
> He calls on the dipole... The DX goes CQ back in his face... He calls and calls and calls... No joy... Finally, in frustration and about to give up he switches to the inferior, radiates equally poorly in all directions, vertical - and gets an answer on his first call...
>  
> So, which antenna is inferior?
>
> denny / k8do
>
>
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