How about if I put the stripped-back coax antenna inside a waterproof
plastic bag that went over the top of it? I think that would certainly help
keep it dry, but would the plastic bag create any kind of mutual-inductance
problems, or does that only happen with conductors or materials with hi
dialectric coefficients?
I remember reading that a the larger the diameter of the radiating element,
the slower the propogation velocity, so I agree with you about how it might
screw up the normal calculations --- but by how much, though? Given that a
vhf dipole has an 11mhz wide band within which the swr is below 2, does it
matter if the resonant frequency is off even if its off by a mhz or two?
If I wound the feedline itself into an 8 turn, impromptu balun and slid a
ferrite bead on the feedline just below the end of the dipole part as a
further barrier to return RF, wouldn't that basically eliminate any
significant return current issues?
Am I missing anything, or can I basically count on a setup like this one to
not stress my final? If not, why not?
--
73
Tom H
VA7FAB