[TowerTalk] More on Half Wave (and HFTA)

[Steve London]

 >Since terrain effects have entered the discussion, here's my 2 cents (probably
 > less) on the subject.   Like any modeling program, be careful interpreting > 
 >HFTA
 >results.   See my earlier post at:

 > http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/Towertalk/2016-07/msg00350.html

 >N3AE

Thank you, Shawn, for this excellent posting.

15 years ago, while my house was being constructed here in New Mexico, I 
observed the same effects while trying to determine optimal heights and 
locations with HFTA. I showed my results to Dean, who commented "you have a very 
complex terrain profile". Well, yes, that's the way the real world is ! Sorry, 
but there is something wrong with any model that displays large changes in 
output with small, insignificant changes in the input. I shared my findings with 
a select group of folks. I did not share them with the entire Towertalk world. 
At the time, HFTA was new, and considered the best thing since sliced bread. 
Frankly, I did not care to bring on the wrath of the "true believers".

I have not used HFTA since then. It has no value in my complex terrain.

73,
Steve, N2IC