Alex,
Will any shortened antenna work as well as a 'full sized'
one? Not really, but it sort of depends on how much it's
'shortened' too.
Would this "shortened" doublet work well as a vertical
'dipole'? Probably as well as any 1/4 wave vertical with
the usual ground system (the 1/4 wave would be slightly
shorter, though).
Is this antenna worth building? I think any antenna is
worth building/trying if you like 'playing' with antennas.
Is it 'as good' as a 'real live' 40 meter dipole? Not really,
but then that depends on your circumstances. If you don't
have the room to put up a 'real live' 40 meter dipole, it'll
probably 'work' very well for you (anything's better than
nothing, right?)...
'Doc

"'Doc" wrote in message ...
Alex,
Will any shortened antenna work as well as a 'full sized'
one? Not really, but it sort of depends on how much it's
'shortened' too.
Would this "shortened" doublet work well as a vertical
'dipole'? Probably as well as any 1/4 wave vertical with
the usual ground system (the 1/4 wave would be slightly
shorter, though).
Is this antenna worth building? I think any antenna is
worth building/trying if you like 'playing' with antennas.
Is it 'as good' as a 'real live' 40 meter dipole? Not really,
but then that depends on your circumstances. If you don't
have the room to put up a 'real live' 40 meter dipole, it'll
probably 'work' very well for you (anything's better than
nothing, right?)...
'Doc
=========================

Open-ended questions like this are quite in order. Doc, I like your way of
responding to them. Valuable when very often when no other replies are
offered.

In this particular case a relatively low, vertical, 40 meter doublet, only
12 feet long, would be not much more than one S-unit down on a full size
antenna. Just about noticeable. Whereas a high, full-size, 40m vertical
dipole would be out of the construction range of the ordinary amateur.

It is amusing to hear about relative antenna gains of 0.1 dB and better in
the presence of 10 dB readable flutters and fades.
----
Reg, G4FGQ