Richard Harrison wrote:
Skin-effect causes both currents, forward and reflected, to ride the
surface of the conductor.

Some quantum electrodynamics might help. The electrons
in the conductor are the carriers and move hardly at
all at RF frequencies where electrons can be thought of
as vibrating in place, absorbing and emitting photons.

It is those photons that move at the speed of light and
RF photons cannot travel *inside* a conductor. The cloud
of photons in the space surrounding the conductor is the
same thing as Maxwell's RF electromagnetic field which,
as we assume from conventional physics, cannot exist
deep inside a conductor because of skin-effect.

Seems to me the present argument results from the
confusion between DC steady-state which is electron
flow not involving RF photons and RF "steady-state"
which cannot exist without RF photons.

Photons, unlike electrons, do not have a charge and
thus do not repel each other. Any number of photons
can occupy the same volume including forward and
reflected photons which form the standing wave
surrounding the conductor.

Let's say we have two pieces of coax with a 'T'
connector in the middle. If we short the inside
conductor to the outside conductor on both ends
and apply RF, what would we measure at the
center conductor of the 'T' in the middle?
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com