Cecil Moore wrote in message ...
Yuri Blanarovich wrote:
What's this guessing game anyway?

If you can talk an astronomer into predicting the day in 2004 when
the first level 3 solar storm will hit earth, you can discredit him
when his prediction falls through.

More thoughts from the rubber room...Lets say you, Yuri and crew are
correct and the current taper is large across the coil.
Lets say the coil is still a 1 ft long bugcatcher coil.
Lets say the current is fairly constant below the coil.
What will the real world effect be of this phenomenon?
About the same as using a shorter coil, the way I see it.
The current below the coil should still be appx the same. The coil
location has not moved. All you might see is a beginning of current
taper of appx 2-4-6 inches lower than you might normally expect. What
will be the effect of this? Hardly nada I suspect. But lets take this
to a further gross level. Lets drop the coil from 47.5% above base, to
37.5% above base. Will all surely agree this would be a worse case to
performance than any severe taper of current in the coil? What do I
see when modeling? -1.75 dbi vs -1.96 dbi. I think this discrepancy
would be as bad as you would ever see from a taper of current across a
coil. Even if the coil was a foot long or longer, as long as you don't
approach a helical antenna. I can't normally hear .21 db difference.
But lets take this even farther and use vertload. I tried an appx 10
ft antenna with a coil 1.44 m above base, with a 1.5 m stinger. The
radiating efficiency was 17.58 db using 4 ohms for ground loss, with a
1.3 db hit compared to a 1/4 wave. I then dropped the coil to 1.14 m
above base, and lengthened the stinger to 1.8 m. 15.95 db efficiency
with the same 1.3 db hit compared to a 1/4 wave. I assume this
difference to be as bad and most likely worse than any error shown
from a current taper across the coil when modeling or in the real
world.
To *me*, I find it all pretty much a non issue, and basically a turd
hunt as we call it down here in redneck country. But this is not to
say I don't admire the determination and grit of the participants
involved in this episode of "A Current Affair". But what do I
know...They don't keep me in a rubber room for nothing... MK