[TowerTalk] OCFD More

[Ed Karl]

Couple of thoughts from my garbage can mind (Defined as collecting 
miscellaneous
unconnected thoughts)

The center of a dipole is the high current point, hence lowest voltage 
(I x E = P). Since
no current flows at the end of the dipole, the voltage is highest here ...

Using open wire line on HF results in minimum loss due to VSWR or other 
effects.
Therefore, if you can tune it (matchbox or similar), you can use it .

Now, when you use an off center fed dipole, the current in the feedline 
is imbalanced.
So the RF can jump off and radiate as there is no cancellation from 
balanced line.

Since this radiation is vertically polarized or low angle you magically 
work more DX.
Hence the ads for the "Carolina Windom" promising mysteriously wonderful 
performance.

But as mentioned earlier, this works to raise the noise on receive (see 
earlier thread).

Note- The actual Windom antenna is a single wire connecting to the 
horizontal part of the
antenna about 10% off center. Not a dipole

73!
ed K0KL