RadioBanter - View Single Post - Current in antenna loading coils controversy

November 15th 03, 03:33 AM

(Richard Harrison) wrote in message ...
Mark Keith wrote:
"But I still feel I`m already building mine as well as they can be."

Close the patent office!

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

Nothing to patent. I didn't invent them. I think I see now why Roy
bailed out.
It's starting to get silly.
We are talking about something that is already very well known. Or at
least when applied to mobile antennas. There is nothing new about
optimizing the coil location to improve current distribution. The
various heights above the base have been hashed out and tested
ad-nausium till the cows come home. There is nothing new about using
a top hat to improve current distribution. Ditto on the
testing...There is nothing new about ground losses usually
overshadowing coil losses with most mobile setups. Yuri tells me to go
back to my rubber room, but read his previous post first,and I did.
But I see nothing there that is new as far as pertaining to mobile
antenna design. Not a single thing. Now if it's proven that errors
could been seen when modeling arrays, or whatever, I can see that as
useful. Not that I'm convinced it's a major problem yet mind you...But
I could see finding usable modeling improvement with complex arrays
much more likely than the lowly whip and coil.
When it comes to mobile antennas, I think they have pretty much
reached the state of the art as far as the design of a coil loaded
short antenna goes. All variations of loading positions have already
been tested virtually non stop since at the very least the 50's, when
bugcatchers became very common. I've got a 1935 QST with a mobile on
the front, but he's not using a bugcatcher. Crap, what more can you
do with a simple whip and coil....:/ They have been beat to death
looking for the very last drop for 50 solid years. I've personally
beat them to death myself looking for the last drop since at least
1988-89 or so when I got my first mobile radio. Trust me, I can't
really improve over what I have now without getting ridiculous or
undrivable or too heavy. I'm already over the legal 13.6 ft height
limit as it is. My coil is already elevated from the base 50% when
driving, "10 ft antenna, with the base 4.5 ft off the ground" 62% up
when parked with the lower mast. "13 ft antenna" With the 13 ft
version, my coil is higher than some peoples whole antenna. Appx 12.5
ft off the ground.
I can't physically install the coil any higher than that due to the
fiberglass mast I use for the lower main section. I installed the coil
at the very top, and use a 5ft thin stinger whip above the coil. It
wouldn't help a whole lot more anyway. It's better to keep the same
longer stinger length and add mast below the coil. Heck, I agree with
almost everthing he promotes as far as mobile antenna design as far as
coil placement, hats, etc. But it's sure nothing new or earthshaking.
I've seen nothing so far to indicate we are designing in gross error
or even noticable error. I've seen nothing to indicate that any new
data gleaned from his tests will improve mobile antenna design enough
to notice in FS measurements. He suggests nothing new that already
isn't being utilized. Where's the all important beef?
I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just asking the fairly obvious. I
ask very simple questions and what do I get? Bafflegab deflection
tactics, rehashes of past social dilemmas, or just vague, totally
useless comments from one. I think I'm gonna bail on this thread also.
I have better things to do than chase my tail and bark at the moon. My
position on the current state of mobile antenna design is fairly well
known at this point. I'll just leave it at that. MK