Joel Kolstad wrote:
"It`s a pet peeve of mine when people tak about noise induced in systems
start calling everything in sight an "antenna" even when there is
nothing involved that is a large fraction of a wavelength of the signal
in question."

Someone needs a word for something that radiates or intercepts r-f. No
need to distinguish between launchers and receptors. They are all
launchers regardless of intentions. Every receiving antenna re-radiates
at least 1/2 of everything it receives.

Could call an antenna a radiator but radiator has 8 letters instead of
7. Aerial has only 6 letters.

An antenna does not have to be big. It can be as small as an "elemental
doublet".

Terman says about an antenna on page 864 of his 1955 edition:
"This (elemental doublet) consists of a length "delta l" that is short
compared with the wavelength "lambda", and which is assumed to have such
large capacitance areas associated with each end that the current
throughout the doublet everywhere has the same I."

The definition above is for "the simplest wire radiator or antenna ---."

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI