Darke
Sr. Member
- Aug 16, 2018
- 314
- 253
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett At Pro
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Ok first off I underestimated the amount of people who lurk in this area of the forum. If you've read the TFR plans thread you've seen a really strange idea of how an antenna works. I've been pretty much bombarded by questions about it. So since this is where the questions are coming from I figured it will easier to address them here.
For this thread we are going to assume that all LRLs and dowsing rods do as they say. Both transmit and receive a molecular frequency or any type of wave for that matter. Play along Carl.
1. The other thread points to antennas receiving wave only through the tip. How did anyone one come to this conclusion you ask? Well the answer is simple. Carl Anderson's instruction manual. This is where the misconception originates. Mainly from the picture below.
In reality virtually no antenna has any gain at the tip(another member also pointed this out also). Even directional antenna increase gain as the waves pass over the collectors or into the reflector. The area of a vertical monopole is bowtie-ish shaped radiating closer to the base of the antenna then up depending on the size of the ground plane. When in the horizontal plane like it is on a LRL there is no reflector which reduces the field to almost nothing except a tiny area near the base of the antenna. A dipole field is donut shaped radiating over more of the antenna length. Most are 1/4 wave with both a coil and mast widening the reception range.
In reality the frequencies claimed for EFNMR and MFD would require a 1/4 wave length antenna over 100 miles tall. Try carrying that around with you lol. Using a coil radiator you might be able to reduce it to like 20 miles.
2. Plastic is an insulator. You can't use an antenna with plastic tips since it will block the frequencies.
Yes plastic is an electrical insulator(kinda, maybe, can even be a conductor depending on usage) but does not block EM waves. This was just silly in it's entirety. I'm sure most everyone reading this forum either has A. computer with wifi and a router or B. A cell phone. C. Both. If plastic could block an EM field none of those devices would work either along with two way radios, every wifi enabled device and every modern cordless phone. And since paint and rubberized coating are also insulators this same effect would also apply.
So in short, yes every LRL that uses a rubberized antenna, extendable BNC, SMA or any type of coated antenna will work as good as they ever will. No you don't need to change antennas unless you're breaking them. No the Greeks and Chinese are not ripping you off(in terms of an antenna that is). No the antenna is probably not why you can't find anything and usually the least of the problems with your LRL. If you have a dipole or direction antenna on your LRL it's as good as it's going to get already.
This only covers very basic antenna operation since most doesn't apply to LRLs and dowsing rods. And hopefully this covered the bases.
For this thread we are going to assume that all LRLs and dowsing rods do as they say. Both transmit and receive a molecular frequency or any type of wave for that matter. Play along Carl.
1. The other thread points to antennas receiving wave only through the tip. How did anyone one come to this conclusion you ask? Well the answer is simple. Carl Anderson's instruction manual. This is where the misconception originates. Mainly from the picture below.
In reality virtually no antenna has any gain at the tip(another member also pointed this out also). Even directional antenna increase gain as the waves pass over the collectors or into the reflector. The area of a vertical monopole is bowtie-ish shaped radiating closer to the base of the antenna then up depending on the size of the ground plane. When in the horizontal plane like it is on a LRL there is no reflector which reduces the field to almost nothing except a tiny area near the base of the antenna. A dipole field is donut shaped radiating over more of the antenna length. Most are 1/4 wave with both a coil and mast widening the reception range.
In reality the frequencies claimed for EFNMR and MFD would require a 1/4 wave length antenna over 100 miles tall. Try carrying that around with you lol. Using a coil radiator you might be able to reduce it to like 20 miles.
2. Plastic is an insulator. You can't use an antenna with plastic tips since it will block the frequencies.
Yes plastic is an electrical insulator(kinda, maybe, can even be a conductor depending on usage) but does not block EM waves. This was just silly in it's entirety. I'm sure most everyone reading this forum either has A. computer with wifi and a router or B. A cell phone. C. Both. If plastic could block an EM field none of those devices would work either along with two way radios, every wifi enabled device and every modern cordless phone. And since paint and rubberized coating are also insulators this same effect would also apply.
So in short, yes every LRL that uses a rubberized antenna, extendable BNC, SMA or any type of coated antenna will work as good as they ever will. No you don't need to change antennas unless you're breaking them. No the Greeks and Chinese are not ripping you off(in terms of an antenna that is). No the antenna is probably not why you can't find anything and usually the least of the problems with your LRL. If you have a dipole or direction antenna on your LRL it's as good as it's going to get already.
This only covers very basic antenna operation since most doesn't apply to LRLs and dowsing rods. And hopefully this covered the bases.
