Dr. Slick wrote:
"---creating antennas to most efficiently transfer power to free space
is a similar problem to matching a circuit`s source to its load. (Quote
from Shadowitz)"

Reciprocity rules in antennas. Kraus has an Apendix D (Absorbing
Materials) to his "Antennas For All Applications".

Kraus says:
"The use of space cloth (Z=377 ohms per square) placed lambda/4 from a
reflecting plane was invented by Winfield Salisbury (1) at Harvard Radio
Research Laboratory during WW-2 ---." (Shades of stealth)

However, a century of antenna experimentation has not revealed a
practical need to especially design an antenna to match its radiation to
a resistive 377 ohms.

Most effective radiation occurs when the antenna circuit is matched and
has no loss. 100% of the energy accepted is radiated.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

Richard Harrison wrote:
Most effective radiation occurs when the antenna circuit is matched and
has no loss. 100% of the energy accepted is radiated.

In the real world for the same size wire on HF, a folded dipole should
be slightly more efficient than a dipole because of lower I^2*R losses.
--
73, Cecil, W5DXP