Walter, W2DU wrote:
"Were the rhombic dissipation lines made of high resistance wire?"

The Signal Corps rhombic kits we had were manufactured by the Wind
Turbine Company and were most distinguished by a unique one-piece
ceramic insulator designed to hold both transmission line cables as it
sat atop a support. The lines were made of 3 no. 12 Copperweld wires
twisted together. We discarded these as our transmission lines needed
larger cable and wider spacing for the same 600-ohm line.

The kit included short tower sections meant as transmission line
supports. Triangular tower sections were made of (3) vertical steel rods
with wire sides where the wire weaved back and forth between rods. Every
steel piece was welded at intersections and assemblies were all
hot-dipped galvanized. They were good structures.

The rhombic curtain was a 3-cable type, spread apart vertically at the
side towers to reduce impedance variations. The same Copperweld cable,
(3) twisted no. 12`s, was used for each of the 3 separate cables, as
that used in the transmission line.

An exponentially tapered feedline was used to attach the wide-spaced
attachment to the curtain overhead to the more narrow transmission line
down below. Its aim was matching 800 ohms to 600 ohms.

My recollection is that the dissipation line at the far end of the
rhombic terminus was itself made to match 800 ohms rather than using
another tapered line. Too many insulators of varied size, I suppose. So,
the down line at the far end had uniform spacing. The dissipation line
itself was relatively small stainless steel wires until we replaced them
with much larger wire and spacings. It ran back and forth down the
centerline of the rhombic.

The rhombics were aimed at central Europe from Portugal. Their reverse
radiation bathed nearly all of South America with strong signals for as
long as the rhombics were without dissipation lines.

I have no statistics on where the fugitives concentrated. I know that
before WW-2, many Europeans had sought opportunity in South America. The
war made it plain that the persecuted needed a new haven outside of
Europe. It was also clear that the persecutors might escape
responsibility if they fled Europe following the war.

I`ve personally been struck by the numbers of people I`ve encountered in
Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro, obviously
residents, not tourists, speaking Central European languages. A lot of
these newer arrivals already had families residing in those countries.

There are a lot of Brits in South America too. In Argentina, many came
to do good and stayed to do well. Hurlingjham is a British neighborhood
in B.A. with its own polo grounds. People send their fourth generation
offspring back "home to the U.K." for education. The main street (high
road) of Santiago is Avenida O`Higgins.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI