On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 04:03:24 GMT, "Charlie J"
wrote:

Gary-
The ideas that you are advancing may work...however they absolutely fly in
the face of all conventional wisdom wrt installing an end fed antenna system
on a non-steel boat using a modern antenna coupler/tuner. I have not
personally tried what you are proposing, but I have personally installed
many dozens of systems using the more conventional methods that are reported
in the literature and...these methods work...5 by 9 reports first crack out
of the box.

Do not misunderstand me, I am simply stating that installing the
coupler/tuner as close as possible to the feed point of either a shipboard
vertical or an insulated backstay, when the other half of the system is a
modest counterpoise, yields very satisfactory results.

Do you have any actual results from a system where the coupler/tuner where
positioned close to the counterpoise? If you do, and you achieved good
signal reports, than maybe the actual position of a coupler/tuner is
irreverent.

73-
Charlie
KS4VB



Placing the tuner at an elevated point above ground flies in the face
of common antenna theory.

The problem is that "modern antenna tuners" can make anybody a radio
technician. I say this with no disrespect to you Charlie.

You can hook them up to almost anything and they will "work".
I see time and again reports from people that say "I installed it and
was heard loud and clear". Yes this means that the radio does work.

Auto tuners have allowed many bad installations to get by on boats.
Just hook up a few wires and you are done. It will usually work in
some manor. And this is how most manufacturers want you to view it,
very simple to install and make work.

In years past I have seen guys install radios in the Ft Lauderdale
area and call WOM for a signal report. They would most always get a "5
9 report". That would be the end of the installation. It worked fine
as far as they were concerned. Never mind that the WOM receiving site
was only a few miles away from where the boat was.

You may have an excellent installation or a very marginal one. How do
you know. The radio is happy, the tuner tunes and you hear noise.

Comparisons with other boats near you talking to the same distant
stations is the real test.

If you want to get some indication of what different types of ground
systems do, place an RF ammeter in the antenna lead at the tuner. Note
the antenna current obtained and try different ground hookups. The
more current you can put into the antenna the better your system is.

The tuner is going to tune just about anywhere you install it. How
efficient the system is another story.

The other big factor in where the tuner is located is determines how
much RF is introduced into other things on the boat via the ground
connections.

Regards
Gary