kristoff wrote:
Well, I have this discussion a number of times.
(I man a infobooth to promote amateur-radio at FOSDEM -a yearly
conference on open-source development in Brussels- so I get to explain
this quite a lot)


In essence, that is not the problem with the exam itself.


When explaining to people why you need to do an exam for amateur-radio,
I compare this to a drivers-license.

A drivers-license is to show that you are technically capable to drive a
car on the public road in a way that is safe for yourself and others on
the road.

This is very similar to the the amateur-radio exam: it is to make sure
that you have sufficient technical knowledge to transmit without
interfering with other radio-users and to make sure you do not blow up
yourself.

The only additional element here is that we are not only allowed to
drive a car, but to also build one ourself; so, you have to show you are
technically able to build a basic model of a transmitter.



So, in essence, the exam still serves it goal: allow all users of the
radio-spectrum operate without to much "bumping into each-other".



But there is very different problem:

The problem is that radio-technology nowadays is nowhere near the
technology when the exams where conceived.

However, that does not apply to antennas, the current topic.
For antennas, their matching, and the losses, the theory that you
(should have) learned for your amateur radio exam still applies today.

Maybe you should listen/join the ZX net, every Sunday 9AM on 3603 kHz,
where this topic is patiently explained time after time by the moderator
Bob ON9CVD. Or check his website or send him a mail asking for some
of the talks he has held their on the topic of antenna matching.