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Editors Note:  The OH OH reportedly lives in a remote part of a neighboring northeastern Florida county.  Rumor has it that The OH OH is distantly related to Dr. Henry Farad-Ohm.

(Maybe even the same person....note that OH transposed from HO could stand for Ohm, Henry with Farad being silent....we just don't know.)

An attached note to the second article stated something to the effect that if the shoe fits...... 

HAM RADIO MYTHOLOGY

By The OH OH 

I say this because, you continually see the same myths cropping up over and over again.  The Myths that follow are just the tip of the iceberg, and I've chosen them only for their frequency (it's pun time) of appearance. While based in fact, a lot of neophytes and old timers alike will affront them, but that just means they're biased; a fact that will become evident soon enough.

Probably the most prevalent Myths deal with the much-aligned G5RV, doublet antenna.

As designed by Jim Varney (SK a.k.a. Dead Short to Ground), the antenna was intended to operate on 20 meters, yet be usable on 40 and 80, preferably with an antenna tuner, yet have a reasonable radiation pattern and SWR. It fulfills its mission quite well. 

The myths include; there wasn't a shortened (junior) version, and it was not designed as an all-band antenna. Yes, of course, you can stick a big antenna tuner in front of it, and load it up on most (not all) of the HF bands, but the efficiency suffers, and the radiation pattern stinks.

Adding some confusion was the fact that early versions (there were several) had a BALUN. Apparently, after thinking about it, he (G5RV) wrote other articles wherein he admonished using a BALUN. 

Speaking of the lowly BALUN... It should always be printed in caps as it is an acronym for BALanced/UNbalanced. It is, in the strictest of terms, a transmission line transformer. Without getting into a whole bunch of discussion, there are two basic types; a voltage BALUN, and a current BALUN.

Typically (not always) these are listed as 4:1 and 1:1. In the former case, it could also be a 1:4. Remember, it is a transformer, and its primary and secondary windings may be reversed. Quite obviously, there is a lot more to BALUNs than this over-simplified description. 

The myth part is, few folks know which one to use in any given situation. This may take me out on a limb with the purists, but if the input to the BALUN is from an antenna tuner (built in as part of it or not), the correct choice is a 1:1 current BALUN.

Another BALUN Myth deals with whether one should be used at all, or not. If it was strictly necessary, our forefathers would have never gotten on the air! In some cases, a choke BALUN made from coiled-up coaxial cable will suffice, but even that isn't necessary if the feed line is perpendicular to the plane of the antenna.

Yes, there will be some imbalance, and the pattern could be a bit skewed. However, assuming a BALUN will suddenly correct a poor radiation pattern, a lousy SWR, or a specific RFI issue, is a Myth!

Antennas, no matter what they are made of, or what frequency they operate on, follow a given set of known parameters. There is nothing mythical about them. The laws governing their operation have long since be laid down by the likes of Kirchhoff, Maxwell, and many others. What is mythical is the hype which runs rampant through the amateur radio marketing community.

This includes exaggerated gain figures, superfluous efficiency ratings, obscene power handling capabilities, and super-low radiation angles. It's bad enough that antenna manufacturers resort to such ham-fisted (I just couldn't help myself with this pun) behavior, far too many of us believe it! If you doubt this, then why is it that too-many amateurs believe that a low SWR, or the number of DX contacts you can make on any given antenna are marks of merit?

Talk about mythology! Believing that a low SWR is a guarantee of a great transmitted signal is a Myth.  A Dummy load is 1:1, but does not radiate much.  You can get two pieces of metal, find the 50 Ohm impedance between them for the feed linepoint and call it a Dipole.  But many times, the low SWR does not mean it will transmit across an open field.

And then there the are Myth-a-Logical Inventors who have sold the Magic Box under many names with the claim to be the perfect antenna without such cumbersome things like wires and radiating elements!  

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A LID FOR THE MILLENIUM

By The OH OH

A "lid" is defined as a poor ham operator.  Over the years, various tongue-in-cheek articles have been written with two purposes in mind; to bring out some of the habits we all hear on the radio and to stimulate thought for the improvement  of operational standards.

This list will be maintained and we hope that all of you can add your favorite habits to the list in the future.  These comments are not intended for any one ham or group.  It seems to happen everywhere!

You might be a LID if:

* Your Icom 706 Mk IIG power deviators can't seem to control the mic gain no matter which band you are working.

* You say a record number of "There" or "You know" in one minute, then spend the next minute trying to beat your new record.

* Instead of waiting to join in a QSO with 'on topic' comments, you just jump in with what you want to say and disregard the group.

* You break into a QSO, call your pet friends and then leave everyone else out.

* You quick key so no one can join, acting like it is a telephone, by timing the repeater drop.

* Doubling seems to be the rule.  Roundtables are out..3 people can't  find a way to stay in order.(?)

* You think "Jim - Juliet, India, Mike" sounds so cool on FM.

* You give your call, then try for more air time with words like "For ID", "For license preservation", "in accordance with the Federal Communication Part 97 regulation of the United States of America"

* You time out the repeater because you are in love with your own voice.

* You mix the bottle with the microphone.

* You get on a net and talk for 5 minutes off the subject because you have a captive audience.

* You don't make formal calls anymore.  Simply break in with your comment and don't identify.  Everyone should know who you are anyway.

* You always smack your lips when you talk, so everyone will know your are trying to operate while eating.

* When you enter a QSO, you change the subject immediately.

* When the repeater sounds a little strange to you, you don't check your own equipment first. You let everyone know the system has problems.

* You give your call as quickly and as slurred as possible.  It confuses who you really are and whether you actually do have a license.  Everyone knows your voice by now, don't they?

* You shy away from new hams trying to make their first contact on the repeater. After all, no one wanted to talk with you the first time.

* You give no precise nor meaningful reports when in an emergency traffic net. Such statements as, "It's raining up a storm".... "It's blowing hard"...."I think it's dark outside"...."The place is a mess"...and the ever present "The sun's shining now." These really contribute to the informational path.

* You key up the repeater at least 5 times before saying anything.  Then you have more fun and know your radio works.

* You use a CB base station power mic for 2m FM.  (AM is Amplitude Modulation and FM is Frequency Modulation. Don't scream in to a CB desk mic hoping to over power FM Radio.  It won't, it will only clip and distort.)

* And above all, always remember the "LID" motto:  "It's just a hobby... MY hobby"



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