James Barrett wrote:
This thread has taken on a life of its own since I posted my first
question. I really don't understand any of this. I thought that I wanted
an antenna with zero reflected energy or as close to that as possible.
Now it sounds like that is not always the case. I need to learn all
about SWR and impedance in regards to Antennas, from start to finish. Is
there an easy-to-read tutorial out there for a beginner like me? Maybe
Ham Radio for Dummies has something about SWR and antennas?

"The ARRL Antenna Book" is a pretty good start.
Here's a matched antenna system with an SWR of 9:1
on the ladder-line. Understanding this system will
be a step in the right direction.

50 ohm
XMTR----------1/2WL 450 ohm feedline-------50 ohm antenna
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73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com