Tom, that gives me an idea..
An artificial tree (metallic) about 130 feet tall. Wonder how many of them I could sell. Where's the nearest patent office? 73, Dale - N3BNA ________________________________ From: Tom W8JI <w...@w8ji.com> To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 10:21 PM Subject: Re: Topband: Vertical vs inverted L question/opinions > Why is an inverted "L" apparently so popular on 160 when it wastes so much RF > as a cloud warmer? "Wastes so much RF" is sort of subjective. Comparing an L to a T, both 65 feet high and resonant over 50 radials, the T has almost exactly the same average ground wave signal. There is only a tiny fraction of a dB difference. In some directions the L is a tiny bit stronger, and in some directions the T is a tiny bit stronger, but it all amounts to a fraction of a dB. The only real major issue is the L has about 0.4 dB front-to-back. They aren't that much different in impedance, either. I'm not sure anyone would see any difference, except perhaps the L fills in the deep vertical null a little bit. This changes if the L and T are not self-resonant. Even so, unless the L is made so long the current maximum moves out of the vertical section, there isn't really what most would consider a significant difference. In my opinion, the choice is mostly a matter of what best fits the supports. Unless you try to use Tree for an antenna, then you might be 20 dB down. 73 Tom _________________ Topband Reflector _________________ Topband Reflector