Cebik's paper on the counterpoise is interesting and
perhaps useful, so far as it goes. I don't remember
seeing any mention of voltage-fed antennas, however.
If they are in that article, I missed them.
Cebik mentions Woodrow Smith in connection with a
1948 antenna book. I don't know if this is the same
'Woody Smith', W6BCX, but I suspect it is. Woody
Smith wrote an article in March 1948 CQ Magazine
titled "Bet My Money on a Bobtail Beam." In that
article, he is somewhat vague about the ground
return for the center element, but is very clear
that 'not much' of a ground is needed. In his
Feb/Mar 1983 HR Mag. reprise of the Bobtail/Half
Square antennas, he refers to the desirability of
a 'ground screen', refraining from calling this
small, rectangular grid a 'counterpoise'. But
that's what it is, in today's usage. I called
it that in my Bobtail pages, and will likely
continue doing so.
http://www.angelfire.com/md/k3ky/page49.html
Moxon, G6XN also refers extensively to the
counterpoise in his favored half wave vertical
antennas, and in his case, is talking about a
pretty tiny piece of metal indeed. See"
"HF Antennas For All Locations." by G6XN.
Cebik tended to be pedantic. Heck, he was a
college professor- duh! He certainly knew his
stuff, but his views were not necessarily
global at all times. Perception colors our
understanding of the world.
Language is a living, growing thing. Cebik
was probably right about the concept of the
counterpoise having been 'muddied', but OTOH
that horse is now long out of the barn.
I very much doubt the word is going away any
time soon, in ham 'circles'. Or squares or
rectangles. Even elongated, skinny rectangles.
I find K2AV's FCP (folded counterpoise) most
intriguing, and I intend to give it a try here.
My inverted L needs help. I am so over with
crummy 'sparse radials'. What a waste. Also,
I intend to shift more towards a longer L
which more approximates voltage feed. Having
a quarter wave L with the current point at
ground level is just asking for poor
performance IMO.
73, David K3KY
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
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