Fw: [Antennas] Without "traps"

[Billy Cox]

Wow indeed ...
So much 'ham lore' in this series ...
O what the heck ... let's see if my 2 cents helps ... or hinders.

S -units ... call the ARRL if you wish, but there is NO standard
that runs true for all gear, much less most gear ...

Run checks on most of today's <or yesterday's> gear, and you
won't find a linear scale as to 1 S unit equal 1 to x dB ... the
low end of the scale tends to be 'more generous' than the high
end of the S meter scale ...

Think about this ... gain is just one piece, so is height about
ground in terms of wavelength ... higher is not always better
for H.F. ... yet ... we tend to look at the S meter for differences ...

A proper yagi stack <say 4L over 4L> at best can have
3 dB more gain ... that's only a 1/2 "average S unit", but
there's more going on there ... wave angle coverage, and
other normally good things happen too ... 

<VHF/UHF ... those are different bucket of parameters ....>
                
Rivets ... done properly <key words> works as well as anything
else. Done poorly, just like overtightening hose clamps ... works
as poor as anything else ...

Baluns ... loss ... sure, probably ... measurable, not probably.

Distortion from not using some form due to unbalanced feed line
to balanced feed point, probably pretty high. <hint ... look how the
majority of contestors do this ...>

Longer boom length MAY equal + gain, WITH the right parameters, so ...
that fixed element spacing, say the 18' boom on the Classic 33 is
GREAT for 20m ... but TWICE what it should be for 10m ... so that
means the 'rule' is off. Whoops, now what do we do?

HINT: Look closer at the larger tribanders and how the elements
are arranged, and why ...

Keep in mind ... apples to apples ... the C3 series ... are really 2 L
yagis, with the right spacing ... where most tribanders have to be
a compromise. <too close for 20, about right for 15m, two wide for 10?>

So a proper spaced 2L yagi ... with no traps verses
a compromise spaced 3L yagi with traps ... mnnn,
now it's not so easy to compare ... And checking for
F/B ... that's not the same as gain. 

My Beverage antennas have F/B ... but their gain is 
WAY BELOW the main transmit vertical ... so ... ???

I agree with the wise words as to don't take ANY of this at anything
other than face <font?> value ... do some study ... and then you'll be
able to sort through the facts verses fantasy on your own.

73 Billy AA4NU ... who uses all sorts of antennas, and parts from 
                                various antenna manufacturers ...