"David G. Nagel" wrote in message
...

OnPage 23.35 of the ARRL 2006 Handbook is a Graph showing the relative
loss between two antenna's for various angles from 0 degree to 90 degree
misalignment. For 0 degree misalignment there is no loss, at 50 degrees
there is a 3.84 dB loss and at 80 degrees there is a loss of 15.2 dB. 90
degree misalignment shows an infinate loss. This is for linear
antenna's.

Yes. I wasted *hours* at Field Day a few years ago trying to make FM
contacts on 440 with my beam oriented parallel to the horizon. (I play with
TV DX and I brain-cramped with my 440 beam.)

When somebody pointed out my error, I wanted to crawl in a hole. This
monumental screwup came despite the fact that I had been making 2m contacts
with a correctly-oriented beam. Go figure. But it proved the heck out of
the theory!!!!