[AMRadio] Antenna current

[John Lawson]

On Thu, 5 Apr 2007, david knepper wrote:

> Why am I getting more antenna current in one lead than the other?  I inserted 
> an RF meter in each feedline before the antenna tuner.  I believe that the 
> current was about 1.5 and 1.7 R.F. ampere respectively at 3.870 Mhz.


   First try exchanging the ammeters. If the problem is one of individual 
calibration or tracking - then that will reveal it - the problem will 
follow the meters.

   Next - is everything exactly equal? Same leg heigth? Equal spacing at 
the *feedpoint* of the antenna?  No large Metal Things near one side of 
the dipole?


    I have the little MFJ crossed-needle balanced ammeter - the same thing 
obtains with my loop, fed with 450-ohm commercial ladder-line: one side 
draws slightly more current than the other.  I attribute this to the fact 
that one 'arm' of the loop tracks under the back eaves of the house - the 
rest is disposed around the back fence.

   Cheers

John
KB6SCO
DM09fg