Roy Lewallen wrote:
Egad. Of course I reject the notion that there's "phase information in
the standing wave current magnitude".

And, of course, you are showing your ignorance. Let's say that
at the current maximum point, the forward current is 0.5 at 0 deg
and the reflected current is 0.5 at 0 deg. The standing wave
current at the current maximum point is 1.0 at 0 deg just like
a cosine function is 1.0 at 0 deg.

Now let's go 45 degrees away from that current maximum point. The
forward current is 0.5 at -45 deg and the reflected current is
0.5 at +45 deg so the standing wave current is 0.707 at 0 deg.

The magnitude of the standing wave current is 0.707. The arc-
cosine of 0.707 is 45 degrees. Do you really and truly believe
that is just a coincidence? Exactly as Gene Fuller said previously,
there is phase information in the standing wave current magnitude.

Here's a quote from Gene:

Gene Fuller wrote:
The only "phase" remaining is the cos (kz) term, which is really
an amplitude description, not a phase.

Your statement above is in direct contradiction to Gene's statement.

What's so complicated about adding a couple of phasors?

I suspect you know how to add phasors. I suspect you don't have
a clue what that answer means in reality. Please try to convince
us that the 0.707 result above for a 45 degree shift is sheer
coincidence.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp