AI4QJ wrote:

Excellent information. The current along the coil reduces as it "replaces" a
section of an equivalent straight antenna section in degrees. This is true
even to the extent as existing current distribution in the section where the
coil is placed. I can see how someone in the 1950's might assume that
current in = current out (kirchoff) and not consider the degrees electrical
length occupied by the coil but ARRL should not be propagating such
information today. We know better now and besides, it is plain and simple
"intuitive" once you know that current changes along the electrical "degree
length" in an unloaded antenna, the same should happen in the degree length
loaded coil.

Thanks for taking the time to show the root of the controversy.

Also, as indicated, the pictures do say 1000 words and it also looks like
W8JI ended up agreeing with you after you pointed out the same effect at
"ON4UN's Low Band DXing", 3rd Edition, on page 9-34.

It's unfortunate that your intuition is wrong -- an inductor doesn't
"replace" part of an antenna.

If you'd like to learn a lot more about this, and the history of the
discussion, see my posting in this group on April 6, 2006 under the
topic " Current across the antenna loading coil - from scratch". It
includes some references to careful measurements I made more than a year
previous which showed that the simplified view of "replacement" is
flawed. If you have the stomach for it, look at the thread which
included the measurement postings, and see how well Cecil and Yuri were
able to do in applying their theory to predict the phase shift across a
simple, small toroidal inductor.

You can find archives of previous postings at http://groups.google.com.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL