Ken Fowler wrote:
"---at or very near the feed point of the antenna drive by a very short
4 inches or less---."

The Bird Model 43 has a width of 5.125 inches including the 50-ohm coax
connectors. You can be sure Bird didn`t make the length of that
precision coax fixture any longer than necessary.

Insertion of even 5 inches of additional coax in a mismatched feedline
at VHF changes the tuning and the match between source and load. It`s
desirable to minimize disturbance of the antenna match when the meter is
inserted and withdrawn from the line.

Ken likely has different reasons for making his metering line section
come in under 4 inches in length

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI