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Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20020718110639.00a83800@gemini.herts.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 12:30:09 +0100
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
From: "James Moritz" <j.r.moritz@herts.ac.uk>
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?LF:_Re:_Activity_from_DLF=B4s_360m_mast?=
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Dear Mal, LF Group,

At 18:34 17/07/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>How could you consider this as an experiment, the outcome is obvious, a big
>signal from a commercial antenna installation. This is not amateur radio
>experimentation on LF.

If that is the only outcome you are interested in, then that is probably 
true. But after a few years of LF operation there is remarkably limited 
quantitative information available about LF antennas, although this lack of 
knowledge does not stop people loudly voicing their opinions on the 
subject. Indeed, in amateur radio as a whole, there is probably more 
rubbish talked, and less reliable information, about antennas than any 
other subject. This is surprising, because everybody acknowledges antennas 
are "the most important part of the station", and real facts and figures 
would be much more useful than  statements like "I got 599 from a ZY7 the 
other day".

Even if no operation were possible from the DLF site, it would be an 
interesting experience for the members of the expedition - it isn't every 
day you get to play around with "proper" LF hardware! If nothing else, a 
big signal from DL would be an opportunity for stations who do not have 
good LF receiving capability to hear something interesting on the band - 
this was certainly true at the G3WSC Puckeridge expedition. Then there is 
the opportunity to make measurements such as field strength and antenna 
impedance, which you don't often get to do with this type of antenna. This 
would be a valuable addition to the very limited factual information we 
have about LF antennas of all shapes and sizes - the fact that the signal 
from such an antenna is big is no surprise, but "how much bigger?" is the 
interesting question.

Cheers, Jim Moritz
73 de M0BMU