Contents: Basics; Quotes;

Basics

There are folks in the world who make a lot of money writing for a living. A few make it to the big time, and the New York Times best seller list. While research and eloquent writing helps, it's usually the controversial writer who makes the list well before scientists, and linguists do.

I don't believe there are any amateurs on the best seller list as a direct result of them being amateurs. Nonetheless, some amateurs just have a knack of saying things that are soundly based on both research, and eloquence. I present a few of them here (et. al) for your enjoyment.

While this article isn't very long, as I find new ones, I'll add them. Do you know of any?

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Quotes

M. Walter Maxwell, W2DU, author of Another Look At Reflections: "With center-loaded mobile whips of equal size having no matching arrangement at the input terminals, best radiating efficiency is obtained on models having the lowest measured terminal resistance (highest resonant SWR, model for model). Models having lowest SWR are wasting power in the loading coil, because of either a low value of coil Q or excessive distributed coil capacitance, or both."

The one attribute not mentioned here is, ground plane losses. Even the best of mobile antennas won't work well unless they're mounted correctly. There is a little more on this subject, here and here.

L. B. Cebik, W4RNL (sk), while on the subject of HF mobile antennas; "It is a fascinating arena of trying to squeeze the last ounce of available efficiency from largely undersized antennas."

The missing part here is, too many opt for antennas in the low SWR arena, as mentioned in the first quote.

Tom Rauch, W8JI, "We have to measure what we want to know. If we measure the wrong thing and then leap to a false conclusion about something we never measured, we can actually be getting less educated through experimentation."

Tom was answering a comment made about mobile antenna bandwidth being used as a means of expressing or measuring efficiency.

"We should wipe the false idea from our minds that feedpoint impedance indicates efficiency, or that a log full of contacts means our antenna has high efficiency. It's very tough to judge a ten-fold change in antenna efficiency based on a log book."

To paraphrase, the number of contacts made, DX or otherwise, has nothing to do with antenna efficiency. To assume other wise, places us in the category of Tom's first quote.

Mark Brueggemann, K5LXP, which appeared on eham.net, "If Velcro is so good, why don't automobile manufacturers use it? I think this mounting technique shows the loyalty of a car's owner, actually. It demonstrates a level of dedication towards the preservation of their cars to such an extent that they would rather risk injury or death, rather than drill any holes. My hat is off to them."

Frank Howard Clark, "The reason there's so much ignorance is that those who have it are so eager to share it."

Josh Wolfe, 17th Century Philosopher, "It's best not to know very much, than to know a lot of things that aren't true."

John Belrose, VE2CV, Antenna Compendium #4, "There is more to consider than appearance and convenience when installing your HF mobile antenna, since the frame and body of the vehicle are a part of the radiating system."

Judson B. Branch, was a former chairman of the Allstate Insurance Companies. He passed away at 82 years of age, in 1989. He wasn't an amateur, but he did say something very profound. "There is no limit to the good a man can do if he doesn't care who gets the credit."

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