[TowerTalk] B & W Folded Dipole

[w5gn at mxg.com]

I didn't write the QST article, but I did post some years ago,
probably on the Contest ListServer, about my NEGATIVE experience
when I tested the antenna on 80 meters in an NAQP Contest,
and incrementally increased my power to find that I could only
make marginal QSOs at 700 watts, but that at 1200 watts I was
getting the same success as I had with 100 watts to a 135 foot
longwire at the same elevation.

(I remember a subsequent posting about my exceeding the 100 watt
power limit in the NAQP, and I pointed out that only applied
if I had submitted my log for score - I submitted as a CheckLog.)

73

Barry, EI/W5GN

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Lux
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2014 5:25 AM
To: Chuck Smallhouse
Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] B & W Folded Dipole

I doubt the B&W design is patented (or that the patent is in force)

Anyone can make and sell a terminated folded dipole

It's not inherently a bad design, although not popular for amateur radio, which tends to put a premium on radiation efficiency, and which doesn't do fast frequency changes and uses narrow band signals.  However, if you've got power to burn, and don't want to fool with tuners, etc( e.g. You're doing ALE at an embassy or NGO or doing millisecond frequency hopping) it works fairly well.   

One can probably do as well with a 3 - 6 dB pad at the feed point of a standard dipole of similar length.

73, Jim

On Jun 23, 2014, at 8:32, Chuck Smallhouse <w7cs at theriver.com> wrote:

> Recently I saw an ad, in maybe QST, by a company selling a dipole that looked like the B & W one.  Maybe they bought the rights from B & W ?  Does anyone recall the ad and where I saw it ?  I've looked through two or three recent QSTs and can't seem to find it .
> 
> Also two or three years ago someone wrote a not too complimentary article, in QST, about the B & W folded dipole .  Does anyone recall what issue that was ?
> 
> Thanks  &  73,
> 
> Chuck,  W7CS
> 
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