Dear Richard:

Your last paragraph (quoted below) is a good summary. It, or something
like it, should be an introductory paragraph in every vertical's data sheet
and advertisement. Well done.

To have a vertical perform well for the important (for DX) angles
between 2 and 12 degrees (above the horizon) one would like to have a copper
sea starting one or two wavelengths from the antenna. I have worked 10 watt
backpack stations in the UK when they were by the sea side. No hope to do
so when they are inland.

73, Mac N8TT

--
J. Mc Laughlin; Michigan U.S.A.
Home:
"Richard Harrison" wrote in
snip

The point is that high conductivity is only needed very close to the
tower for the ground wave. For a sky wave, you need high conductivity at
the reflection point for a vertically polarized wave.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI