"gareth" wrote in message
...
Ignoring, for the moment, travelling wave antenna, and restricting
discussion to standing wave antennae ...

A wave is launched, and radiates SOME of the power, and suffers
both I2R losses and dielectric and permeability losses associated
with creating and collapsing the near field.

Of course, it goes without saying that the wave was already travelling up
the feeder
and it diffracts along the elements of the antenna, rather than being
launched from
the feedpoint!