[Antennas] coax length question

[Neil]

Hello,

As a new antenna experimenter, I think I may know the issue
he's spotlighting.

As I read through the multitude of antenna books I've
recently purchased, I see
many references to specific lengths of coax that are used
for particular antenna
designs. One might specify something like 'feedline length
has to be 1/4 wavelength
or the swr will be astronomical" etc. My poverty stricken
understanding is that
the feedline (coax) IS part of the antenna system, and that
for certain designs,
it's length is contributory to the function of the antenna.
Often specified lengths
of coax function to tune, or tame, the beast.

The abundance of info online, and printed, related to
feedlines and feedline-antenna
interactions can be daunting. The ARRL Antenna Book always
seems to be a good
place to start. Googling "antennas" and "feedlines" has led
me to assemble a rich
set of links to good reference materials. Here are a few
(some have more than just
antenna/feedline info):

http://www.tpub.com/neets/
http://www.w8ji.com/
http://www.cebik.com/
http://www.qsl.net/w3fpr/index.htm
http://www.smeter.net/feeding/feeding.php

73, Neil

Neil Murphy  KH6EAM
www.ghostdog.com
650.375.0886 wrk
650.533.2015 mobile