[Lowfer] Vince Pinto Lowfer Pioneer Update

[Les Rayburn]

Just contacted by Vince Pinto, who helped to launch this hobby into it's
current emphasis on weak signal techniques back in the 1980's. Vince
operated beacon VP for several years, and published the weekly newsletter,
"The Lowfer Letter" for a number of years.

Vince is no longer involved in radio hobbies, but keeps track of developments
via the Internet. He was very encouraged by recent progress in QRSS, WOLF,
etc.

Vince has suggested that we might want to look into antenna systems using
large dielectric materials. Vinny wrote:

I keep thinking that the high-dielectric loaded shorties may have some 
possibilities, however. AS I remember, there are amateurs who construct a 
short rigid dipole and then immerse the rigid wire elements in a "skin" 
(the skin may be from a few inches to a few yards in thickness) of a 
dielectric with a very HIGH dielectric constant, such as one of the 
ceramics. They claim that this dielectric coating can reduce the physical 
length of a dipole or other simple wire antenna by factors of 10, 20, 30 or 
more.

For those interested in contacting Vince, his e-mail is listed below.

Vinny Pinto
vinny@mindspring.com

Personally, I'm not aware of the dielectric constant antenna materials he 
mentioned, but
much like Lyle Koehler, when Vinny talks, I listen! Off to research this on 
the web
now...

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF



Les Rayburn, director
High Noon Films
100 Centerview Drive
Suite 111
Birmingham, AL 35216
(205) 824-8930
(205) 824-8960 FAX
(205) 253-4867 CELL