"1 piece of alum foil around the mount area and I have a 150-200 mile range. Do not over think this thing, build it install it and fly it....."
Tuning an antenna is not only about increasing range or receiving sensitivity, it actually increases the lifetime of your radio, or at least of the RF transistors in the amp stage. Keep in mind that all the power that is reflected from a mismatched antenna goes right back into the transistors, where it just heats the electronic circuits. Radios have been silenced very quickly that way. Dene is doing it the right way - after all all of us put enormous efforts into tuning the aircraft engines to exactly where they need to be. So why stop at the radios? After all, a simple SWR meter sets you back about $25. Wolfgang Decker Beaver Falls, PA Basement almost ready to get started
