[Elecraft] Re: Elecraft Digest, Vol 8, Issue 10

[W3FPR - Don Wilhelm]

David,

Sorry about the confusion.
I was not proposing that the grounded halfwave was a practical solution - my 
intent was only to point out that the behavior of RF on a 'counterpoise 
wire' is not magic, but follows the same rules as other wires carrying RF, 
just like an antenna element, or one wire of a transmission line.  There is 
no 'one solution' or one answer to such questions, we have to consider the 
behavior of all elements involved.

The REAL answer is: "It all depends ..."

73,
Don W3FPR

----- Original Message ----- 
>
> On Dec 10, 2004, at 9:27 AM, W3FPR - Don Wilhelm wrote:
>
>> One of the 'funny' properties about RF is that it will always find a 
>> (ground) reference somewhere - that may be from any wire, chassis, PC 
>> board or even your body.  Whatever the RF finds convenient will be used 
>> as its ground reference.
>
>> BTW, a half wavelength wire connected to ground at the far end will 
>> behave just like a quarter wave that is open at the far end - think 
>> transmission line (and antenna wire) behavior.
>
> Doesn't this cause a bit of an RF-philosophical problem?  If one end of 
> the half wave is supposed to determine RF ground, how does the RF know 
> what's at the other end is also ground?  I should think that simply 
> grounding it to the earth would not do the trick if, as in your original 
> message, the RF hasn't already "found" it as a convenient ground.
>
> best wishes,
>
> dave belsley, w1euy
>
>