Tom Donaly wrote:
If all you have is the value of current at one point,
you can't possibly tell anything about the phase.

But the value of current at one point is *NOT* all we have
so your supposition is irrelevant. After a century of theory
by some of the most brilliant human minds, we know virtually
everything there is to know about a 1/2WL thin-wire dipole.
We know there *IS* indeed phase information in the standing
wave current magnitude just Kraus graphed it in his book.

You need
to compare it to something - itself even - somewhere or sometime else in
order to have an idea of phase.

The standard thing to compare it to is the feedpoint current,
e.g. provided by EZNEC, usually 1.0 amps at 0 degrees.

Here's what I mean: suppose I have a
piece of wire of unknown length, excited by an unknown frequency, and
picking a random point on the wire I measure 1.73 amps. What is the
phase? You're trying to square the circle and hear the sound of one
hand clapping at one and the same time, Cecil.

First, you insult me with irrelevant ad hominem attacks ...

Of course, in your
case, you know the length of the wire, the frequency of the wave and
its wavelength, and you think you know the current distribution
on the wire (a half wavelength dipole) so you don't need anything
but a ruler to find what you're looking for.

And second, you agree with Kraus and me ...

Here is a chart regarding Kraus' 1/2WL thin-wire dipole copied from
my other posting. Please tell us what is wrong with it and exactly
why the standing wave current magnitude doesn't tell us how many
degrees away the feedpoint is for the formula I = Io*cos(X).

X degrees away standing wave arc-cosine of the
from feedpoint current magnitude current magnitude
0 1.000 amps 0 deg
30 0.866 amps 30 deg
45 0.707 amps 45 deg
60 0.500 amps 60 deg
90 0.000 amps 90 deg

Do you really think it is a mere coincidence that column 1 and
column 3 are identical???
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp