Hi Walter, I have drawings of the original Cutler aerial in Watt (I think it
was) ...I was given a CD copy by Frank Gentges at the Englefield Green HFC.
You already sent me the full text of Pierce's memoires and very interesting
they are as well. It was interesting to pass on to a Yank (who had worked
there) that the efficiency of Jim Creek and Haiku was not all it was cracked
up to be, by station "folklore".

It would have been interesting to disconnect the miles of earth wire at
Cutler to see what difference it made to the efficiency. I am convinced the
performance of that aerial is due to the disc-like top-load. This is just as
described by Meissner (used at Nauen) in the appendix to the new Handbook.
The Germans could not afford the cooper after 1919 and had to make best use
of the stakes they could afford. My guess is that the salt water is not far
down into the ground at Cutler, and I reckon those wires are just acting to
feed back the current collected at their ends to the transmiter ground
terminal. As Cutler's Goliath has been felled we shall never know. These old
VLF aerials are much more like amateur LF aerials that the long verticals in
commercial use. The latter DO need the radials to be efficient, with good
grounding under the feed point.

Cheers de Alan G3NYK
[email protected]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Walter Blanchard" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: 12 March 2004 20:44
Subject: LF: VLF Antenna