The Extra exam asks:

E5D10 - As a conductor’s diameter increases, what is the effect on its electrical length?

HamStudy has this explanation:

From the ARRL Antenna book:

the electrical length of a linear circuit such as an antenna wire is not necessarily the same as its physical length in wavelengths or fractions of a wavelength. Rather, the electrical length is measured by the time taken for the completion of a specified phenomenon.

As the diameter increases the resistance decreases, which in effect lengthens the effective "electrical length" of the wire. Thus you could have two wires of differing physical length which are both electrically e.g. "12 wavelength" at the same frequency because the shorter one has a larger diameter.

So, to restate again: the electrical length increases as the diameter increases.

OpenHamPrep explains with (sorry, seems to block copying text):

explanation text

I'm having trouble internalizing the explanations though.

Electrical length: How does this relate to velocity factor? I'm picturing how one wavelength at a given frequency fits in the conductor. Compared to velocity factor of 1 (speed of light in a vacuum), if the wire had VF 0.8, I'm picturing that the wave in the wire would oscillate at the same rate but not get as far, so the wave would complete in a shorter physical distance. This matches an equation from picwire:

L = 11.8 * f/1000 * VOP/100

From HamStudy's explanation, how would decreased resistance mean increased electrical length?

OpenHamPrep seems to make more sense (bigger diameter = more capacitance). But why does that reduce characteristic impedence, and why would lower impedence mean "slower wave"?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 1 point 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

(Current rabbit hole: Should a HB9CV’s boom be conductive and electrically bonded to its elements?)

Yes it has to be, that's how you feed its two elements. Boom is at zero electrical potential and forms half of transmission line that goes to gamma matches of both parts of antenna, and you can attach it to perpendicular conductive mast, or extend it for mounting to mast (has to be perpendicular if mast is metal)

Personally, i'd go with 4el yagi if we're talking portable operation, because boom length is such that you can make it out of plastic tube and hide elements in it when moving around. Or moxon, if size of 4el yagi is prohibitive. Moxon gets you 2db more gain than HB9CV in similar footprint

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 day ago (1 child)

    I hadn't heard of Moxon, I'll check that out. I have an Arrow Yagi, so I'm mostly just playing around to see what I can build, but also thinking of something that's a little easier/shorter to carry around for a fox hunt.

    Thanks!

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 1 day ago

    Moxon is very slightly shortened 2el yagi. That other thing is effectively weird phased array of two almost halfwave dipoles, and it's both worse and bigger, and also harder to make because it requires capacitors for gamma match

  • source
  • parent