[TowerTalk] 1/4 height vertical for 600 meters? 160?

[Terry Conboy]

On 2012-03-16 10:27 AM, Rick Karlquist wrote:
> Pete Smith N4ZR wrote:
>> I wonder if anyone has considered building Breakall et al's design for a
>> massively shortened vertical antenna - 0.05 wavelengths, according to
>> the technical paper at
>> http://www.kintronic.com/resources/technicalPapers/2.pdf.  I originally
> This idea has never made sense to me.  Because of symmetry, the
> voltages and currents of the four elements should be identical.
> Therefore, I should be able to connect the bottom ends of the
> elements together without affecting anything.  Similarly, I should
> be able to connect the tops of the elements (at the bends)
> together.  Having done this, I now have a top loaded cage vertical.
> It may indeed work, and it may indeed compare favorably to a 1/4
> wave vertical.  However, there is nothing new here.  Am I
> missing something?
>
> Rick N6RK
>
I don't think you're missing anything at all.  Matching with multiple 
1/4 wavelength lines can be done by just paralleling them to get the 
desired effective Zo (but a hairpin match is even simpler, and may have 
less loss and wider bandwidth).  The ground losses are the same as any 
short, top-loaded antenna since the ground currents are the same.

73, Terry N6RY