I agree! Kudos and thanks to Barry for this useful discussion of antennas.
My proposition: by the physical principle of conservation of energy can we say that
the problem is to get energy out of the transmitter and into the feedline, and have it stay
there, then we will put the best signal on the air? If we have an antenna tuner at the
transmitter output, we can add capacitance or inductance as needed to make the antenna
and feedline system appear resistive, taking power away. Where to? What about where the
feedline meets the antenna? Should we try to match the feed to the antenna. If we don't
match the feed and antenna then presumably we will have reactive currents flowing in the
feedline, causing dissipation (power loss) much the same as poor "power factor" causes
useless loss in AC power distribution systems. Thus we are motivated to match the antenna
to the feedline at its feed point, so that we reduce the power bouncing back and forth in the feedline.
Again, by conservation of energy, if we can get the power out of the feedline, and into the antenna,
it will radiate, which we like. Whether the antenna is resonant, and where we feed it is beside the point.
With a resonant antenna fed a a reasonable point, it's easier to match the feed to the antenna.
Tony KD1IK
Lexington MA
