Cebik's paper on the counterpoise is interesting and perhaps useful, so far as it goes. I don't remember seeing any mention of voltage-fed antennas, however. If they are in that article, I missed them.
Cebik mentions Woodrow Smith in connection with a 1948 antenna book. I don't know if this is the same 'Woody Smith', W6BCX, but I suspect it is. Woody Smith wrote an article in March 1948 CQ Magazine titled "Bet My Money on a Bobtail Beam." In that article, he is somewhat vague about the ground return for the center element, but is very clear that 'not much' of a ground is needed. In his Feb/Mar 1983 HR Mag. reprise of the Bobtail/Half Square antennas, he refers to the desirability of a 'ground screen', refraining from calling this small, rectangular grid a 'counterpoise'. But that's what it is, in today's usage. I called it that in my Bobtail pages, and will likely continue doing so. http://www.angelfire.com/md/k3ky/page49.html Moxon, G6XN also refers extensively to the counterpoise in his favored half wave vertical antennas, and in his case, is talking about a pretty tiny piece of metal indeed. See" "HF Antennas For All Locations." by G6XN. Cebik tended to be pedantic. Heck, he was a college professor- duh! He certainly knew his stuff, but his views were not necessarily global at all times. Perception colors our understanding of the world. Language is a living, growing thing. Cebik was probably right about the concept of the counterpoise having been 'muddied', but OTOH that horse is now long out of the barn. I very much doubt the word is going away any time soon, in ham 'circles'. Or squares or rectangles. Even elongated, skinny rectangles. I find K2AV's FCP (folded counterpoise) most intriguing, and I intend to give it a try here. My inverted L needs help. I am so over with crummy 'sparse radials'. What a waste. Also, I intend to shift more towards a longer L which more approximates voltage feed. Having a quarter wave L with the current point at ground level is just asking for poor performance IMO. 73, David K3KY _______________________________________________ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
