"No, parallel-fed antennas do NOT suffer uptilt/downtilt as frequency is varied 
unless the harness was special-ordered for factory downtilt. If the antenna 
wasn't ordered with downtilt, all of the elements are fed in phase, and they 
will always be in phase regardless of frequency."

Jeff, the pattern depends on both phasing and spacing. As frequency drops, the 
interelement phasing, expressed in degrees, remains the same, but the spacing, 
expressed in degrees or wavelengths, drops. If you model a colinear array of 
parallel-fed dipoles in an antenna software program, and don't scale the 
dimensions as you scale the frequency, you'll see the main lobe shift up or 
down, and "butterfly" lobes appear, as you get a few per cent off-frequency.

In an extreme case, a pair of vertical colinear dipoles fed in phase with 
half-wave spacing has the familiar big lobe toward the horizon. As frequency 
rises, the pattern degrades until, at a frequency of 2X, it becomes an end-fire 
array, with most energy directed straight up and down. This happens with no 
change in phasing or spacing.

73,
Paul, AE4KR

Reply via email to