k1drw wrote:
Seems like on the braid side the current would
make its way down to the end of the dipole element and then start back,
but go right to the low impedance ground and be gone.

Except it is not DC. If that coax is an odd multiple
of 1/4 wavelengths long, the impedance looking down
the outside of the braid is very, very high. Or if
a choke is installed on the coax, the impedance may
be very high. On a macro scale, RF obeys the rules
of the distributed network model and doesn't respond
like DC.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com