" Art Unwin KB9MZ" wrote in message
news:KVAOb.93878$8H.136929@attbi_s03...
Many hams have just gone thru an ice storm where many have lost the end
portions of their elements due to the
weight of ice. Strange thing is that many of those hams who suffered
damage
are confinced that they see NO difference in their shortened antennas and
a
few were adamant that the performance had IMPROVED
One local guru who had many books on radio thought that maybe the real
world
was different to what he read in books!
He then took out his ARRL book and right there is said that gain of two
dipoles side by side increases gain in proportion to the spacing between
the
ends of the dipole.
Since this revelation was in a book it was obvious that what other hams
were
experiencing with their damaged antennas must be true. So the guru
purchased
two dipole
and put them side by side and then remove the ends just as the ice storm
would and thus increased the gap between the two dipoles, which the
A.R.R.L
BOOK said would produce more gain.
The guru is now befuddled
He listened to experiences in the REAL WORLD and merged it with what must
be right because it was in a BOOK but did not get all this extra gravy he
was looking for !.
What is going on between the real world and what is written in books.?
He He!
Regards
Art


ART, I too have lost portions of my antenna due to ice storms, I was able to
retune and still operate my station with the damaged antenna. Howeever ther
is no way I could tell you if it was better or worse as no reference had
benn previously established for comparison. I seriously doubt if those
others that this has happened to had a chance to establish some meaningful
reference either.
I too am familar with the statement reguarding spacing between the ends of
the antenna. I find it both amusing and incredible that anyone could take
this to mean that cutting off the ends of the antenna will cause an increase
in gain.