[Boatanchors] B-17 antenna connection

[Dennis DuVall]

Weird arrangement…  Is the lead out to the “main tank gage cover” electrically attached to the metal skin of the wing at that point or is there an insulator there?   
If the latter, the result would be merely a short end-fed wire antenna. If the former, some kind of a loop would seem to be formed unless the wing itself has become 
a radiating element with a single wire “feed line” running out to a feed point at or  near the gage cover, an attachment point chosen by cut-and-try or some other method.  In any  case 
don’t see the skin of the aircraft per-se being the “antenna” here.

Dennis D.  W7QHO
GlendALE, CA

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> On Nov 27, 2016, at 10:41 AM, Dave Marquart <davemarquart at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> The skin of the airplane serves as an antenna for the Liaison
>> set with a lead-in connected to the left wing at the main tank gage cover
>> and brought through an insulator in the upper left side of the fuselage
>> just forward of Station 5O.  Both Liaison antennas are connected to the
>> antenna changeover switch and through the switch either antenna may be
>> connected to the set.  The antenna switch is on the upper left sidewall at
>> Station 5G. _