On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:36:18 -0400, John Popelish
wrote:

The center line I am referring to is the mirror line of the ground
plane or radial group that allows a monopole to have a field pattern
(both E and H) above that mirror line, that would exist there, if the
antenna was a symmetrical dipole. Without the mirror effect, the
field pattern of the monopole depends on the path the feed line takes
away from the monopole, and any other conductive objects nearby.

Hi John,

This is still rather obscure. You are not talking about a line, but
yet another plane. World of difference there, but I won't dispute
semantics further.

Simply raise that monopole, complete with radial plane and the center
line (as you call it), ABOVE the ground plane. I've already analyzed
this elsewhere in conventional jargon, but here it seems Photons offer
a different conclusion. Unfortunately you aren't prepared to pursue
this as you admit later.

The conventional analysis is perfectly capable of dealing with feed
lines or by avoiding them altogether. One can certainly conspire to
fail and corrupt the analysis, so avoiding distractions and placing
the source in the model, at the feedpoint, removes a lot of
uncertainty.

Since I am talking about field patterns, it seemed natural to switch
from total radiated watts to field intensities and the photons that
field emits and where those photons head.

Photons (as any radiation in this case) are incoherent and radiate in
all directions.

While amateurs may ultimately be interested in radiating power in
particular directions, we are discussing the physics of the radiation
process, and photonics is one way to think about that process.

I am perfectly content and competent to that goal.

The ultimate radial pattern is a solid disk. Once you understand what
that does to the field pattern, you can start toward a radial wire
layer, and see how, in important ways, like the ability to carry
radial current, it resembles a disk. Then, you can explore how
reducing the number of radials alters the approximation.

I don't see a photon in this at all.

You were going to tie this all together weren't you?

Probably not, since I am working through the process in my own mind.
I am not the teacher so much as a student trying to learn something
useful. I hope my posts generate more useful discussion from others
than I have gotten from you, so far.

I have, with neutral objectivity, posed issues of diffraction. For
one, the quarterwave antenna, in close proximity to a quarterwave
mirror (those radials), does not present the characteristics of a
point source that might render attractive solutions. Further, even a
point source ray striking a quarterwave mirror suffers considerably.

The long and short of it is that Photons make for an interesting
discussion with regards to antennas. Unfortunately, and as you
obliquely observe about me writing for myself, it seems I'm the only
one willing to carry the topic.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC