Q1
----------
How is large-scale ground conductivity determined ?

A1
---------
You set up a 1 Kw transmitter using a vertical antenna above 120 ground
radials and measure the ground-wave field strength at a number of
geographical locations at various distances up to 100 miles in daylight.
You then use Sommerfeld's (corrected) formulae to estimate average ground
conductivity for the region.

Q2
---------
What is this knowledge of ground conductivity used for ?

A2
---------
With Sommerfeld's (corrected) formula it is used to estimate the ground-wave
field strength received at various distances up to 100 miles from a 1 KW
transmitter in daylight. Refer to program GRNDWAV3.

Q3
---------
How is a reflection-coefficient determined ?

A3
---------
Its modulus and angle is calculated from complex impedance measurements.

Q4
---------
What is knowledge of the reflection-coefficient used for ?

A4
---------
After discarding half of the information it contains, then tossing a coin to
select one of two possible formulae, it is used to calculate the imaginary
SWR on a non-existent transmission line.

Q5
---------
What is the value of the SWR used for ?

A5
---------
It has no use except as the subject of magazine articles to fill in gaps
between the adverts.

Q6
---------
What is a TLI ?

A6
---------
It is a useful little instrument which indicates whether or not the load on
the transmitter is sufficiently near to a resistive 50 ohms. That is, of
course, if your particular transmitter happens to work best with such an
arbitrary value. (TLI = Transmitter Loading Indicator formally incorrectly
recognised as a swaaarrr meter.)

Q7
----------
What plonk is being imbibed tonight ?

A7
----------
Vintage 2002, Medium White, from a vinyard located in the beautiful Central
Valley at the foot of the Sierra Mountain Range in the State of California,
one of the United States of North America. Good stuff ! I should have
grabbed another bottle at my local supermarket.

----
Yours, Grandad Reg, G4FGQ.

PS: Station is located on the outskirts of the original Great Manufacturing
City of Birmingham, where Boulton and Watt built their immense condensing
steam engines, and where the microwave-oven cavity-magnetron was invented
and constructed, 1940-41, during the air-raids, and generously given to the
World.

Present all-band antenna is a 40-feet sloping 18-gauge wire extending from
the kitchen window, near the extractor fan, to a TV antenna mast, without
the TV antenna, mounted on the house chimney. An automatic tuner is located
under the kitchen sink very conveniently near to the one and only ground
radial - the incoming domestic water supply lead pipe. It does however
extend 5 miles to the area's water reservoir and pumping station.

SWR/Return Loss/Reflection Coefficient

Maybe your post is being taken too seriously, but if knowing and
optimiz(s)ing these parameters is unimportant, please explain why their
disregard can result in the meltdown of transmission line and transmitter
output networks.

RF

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