RadioBanter - View Single Post

March 3rd 06, 08:58 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna

On Thu, 2 Mar 2006 21:35:30 -0600, (Richard
Harrison) wrote:

Danny did not specify where he thought I erred in my previous posting. I
said that a whip mounted on a vehicle is not exactly like a dipole. I
meant that the whip did most of the radiating because it carried a
concentration of current in the same direction while in the car body the
current is dispersed in various directions, some of which canncel in
their effects.

That may have some validity in the VHF and higher ranges, but on HF -
particularly on 80 meters - a car body's size is a small fraction of a
wavelength (as is the whip portion). Consequently the vehicle body
acts like the one half of a dipole antenna. Slightly lop-sided yes,
but a dipole just the same - just as Roy stated.

Regards,
Danny