On Jan 23, 1:12*pm, Cecil Moore wrote:
Keith Dysart wrote:
From assertion A above, is it your contention that far from
the antennas it is "interference" that causes the variation
in field strength, but that on the line drawn between the two
antennas some other mechanism is responsible?

Of course not - please don't be ridiculous. If the two
antenna elements were isotropic point sources, on a
line drawn between them, there could be no interference
and there would be only standing waves in free space
along that line assuming no reflections from nearby
objects, etc.

Everywhere else there are components of waves traveling
in the same direction so interference is possible anywhere
except on that line between the point sources. When the
sources are not a point, seems to me, interference could
occur at any and all points in space.

OK. So it is your contention that "far from the antennas
it is "interference" that causes the variation in field
strength, but that on the line drawn between the two
antennas some other mechanism is responsible".

But why do you say "Of course not" and then proceed to
paraphrase my statement?

When the mechanism abruptly changes from interference
when off the line to "standing wave" when EXACTLY (how
exact?) on the line, is there any discontinuity in
the observed field strengths?

...Keith