On Apr 23, 7:34*pm, "Tom Donaly" wrote:
Finally, a modest question: if you have EZNEC, why would you
be wasting time with something inferior? The gold standard is the gold
standard. Or are you on some philosophical quest, like Cecil?

Tom,

Yes I have EZNEC and recognise what a great tool it is. Its
predictions were the benchmark against which I tested the various coil
models I read about, and no-one has yet suggested that it can't be
trusted for modelling a helix.

I'm not on some "philosophical quest" - I'm just an old, retired, guy
who still likes learning and wants to understand more about how things
work; I hope that never leaves me! I stumbled on this discussion quite
by chance and tried to understand the various "positions" being taken.
Perhaps I'm over-simplifying, but it seemed to me there was a group
who favoured the transmission-line model and a group against it. I've
tried dispassionately to understand the various arguments and to form
my own conclusions.

Now here's my problem:

* The results I get using a model based on transmission-line analysis
are very close to my EZNEC predictions - not perfect, but way better
than any lumped-element analysis results
* I don't see quantitative, non-empirical, arguments being put forward
to support lumped-element analysis
* I see numeric arguments being put forward by Cecil to support a
transmission-line approach - they look convincing to me and, although
I see a lot of unpleasant personal attacks on him, I don't see any
scientific challenge to his figures
* On the other hand I see folk whose work I rate highly, seemingly
willfully to misunderstand some of the points which Cecil puts forward

Please don't think I'm trying to defend Cecil - I wouldn't be so
presumptuous, and anyway he's old enough to look after himself! I'm
just trying to understand why, what seems to me to be such a
persuasive argument, generates such opposition. Either there's some
glaring technical error here which I haven't yet spotted, or perhaps
there's a long "history" between various "personalities" of which I'm
ignorant?

Still confused,

Steve G3TXQ