Analysers – help or hindrance

A ham posted online:

I spent several happy hours this weekend building the DE of the 6M Quad described in the June 2014 QST, p 30. When I got it completed, I put the antenna analyzer on it, expecting to find a nice resonance in the 50-51Mhz region and an impedance of 120 ohms or thereabouts. To my surprise, the radiation resistance in the couple of dozen ohm range, and resonance, if that is what I can call it, depends on how am I holding the loop.

After a bit of QST bashing in the thread, he later reveals:

The trial with the analyzer was about 2′ of RG-8X with PL-259s on each end, to BNC jacks on both antenna and analyzer with adaptors.

Analysis

Much as the chap expressed his lack of confidence in modelling tools, NEC reveals what is happening. Continue reading Analysers – help or hindrance

Additional loss due to VSWR – a quite flawed concept

The concept of “additional loss due to VSWR” is so engrained in Ham mythology.

Screenshot - 01_06_2014 , 16_30_10

Here it is detailed in the latest version of TLW announced in QST June 2014. On the second last line TLW lists “additional loss due to SWR” as 0.003dB, which seems ok in relative terms as the cable is nominally matched (VSWR=1.03). Continue reading Additional loss due to VSWR – a quite flawed concept

OCF dipoles

Off centre fed (OCF) dipoles are very popular with Hams on HF.

Many claims are made for variations of the theme, but the essential common feature is that the offset feed point provides a feed point impedance that is not too unsuited to 50Ω coaxial feed line at the fundamental resonance of the dipole and half wave harmonics. Continue reading OCF dipoles