[TowerTalk] verticals with one radial

[jimlux]

On 2/27/17 10:00 AM, Tom Osborne wrote:
> I was just looking at an antenna article in an older ARRL publication last
> night and it showed an inverted 'L' for 160.  It had one radial.  They
> claim the gain is 3dB in the direction of the radial laying on the ground.
>
> That should be great - right?  Just move the radial around and you have a a
> rotary antenna for 160.  Point the radial to JA and run JA's..
>
> Does anyone proofread this stuff any more?  73
> Tom W7WHY


you did say it was an "older" publication...

this was probably the result of a modeling exercise which didn't take 
into account the interaction of the earth with the radial.  Depending on 
what modeling code you use, you really would get gain in the direction 
of the radial (think of it like a vertical V dipole, tilted at 45 
degrees.  would it be 3dBi? well, you get 2 dBi just from being a dipole.