Reg Edwards wrote:

[Responding to the question of what useful information could be obtained
from measuring the surface soil conductivity at the B, L, and E site]

None

But I'm sure that won't stop you from your frequent complaints that they
"forgot" to measure it. I see you've found other things to criticize,
though. . .

, except that you are nit-picking as usual.

Asking what use it would be to measure the surface conductivity (as you
suggested) is nit-picking? You have a strange way of evaluating things.

And that B, L & E, all three of them, were floundering about in an
amateurish fashion.

Ah, you play the role of armchair quarterback very well. Sure is too bad
you didn't think of doing the experiment in 1937 -- I'm sure you would
have done it right. All AM broadcast stations would be using precisely
100, not 120 radials, and we'd know the surface ground conductivity of
the measurement field (but still wouldn't know what to do with the
information). The Reg of '05 would have the warm, satisfied feeling of
knowing that another seminal piece of work was done by one of Her
Magisty's loyal subjects (or was it His Magisty in '37 -- I forget)
instead of the gnawing aggravation he experiences thinking that some
American ruffians might actually have done something useful. Life would
sure be a lot better today, wouldn't it?

Yet it had been well known to others for 35 years that soil
conductivity and permittivity had a profound effect on ground wave
propagation.

Propagation, yes. But nobody had a good handle of the effect of ground
systems on antenna efficiency until their experiments.

All they had demonstrated was that 113 radials was more than
sufficient for MF and low HF broadcast propagation which was what
everybody already knew.

You obviously haven't read the paper. It has nothing at all to do with
propagation.

And so the rounded-up, Marzipan the Magician, magic number of 120 got
stuck in the bibles. A typical American way of going about things. ;o)
----

Boy, it really must hurt deeply to think that some Americans did
something that the rest of the world considers to be pioneering. Have
some more wine -- it'll dull the pain.

But under no circumstances should you actually stoop to reading the
paper you're so fond of criticizing. It would just make you feel worse.

Reg.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL
certified Reg's Old Wife -- and inveterate nit-picker