That image is part of a training document on how NOT to hold iron...and how NOT to choose the wrong tool....(a heat controlled system is required on such PCB's not a straight 'iron-plugged-into-the- wall'). So the people seeing it are actually training themselves to prevent injury. No one in a professional setting would be allowed into the fabrication or assembly lab you see here, without such training. Why? Because over a dozen employees and OSHA rules apply big time. T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G.
Back to the Antenna. I always wanted to make a Terminated Folded Cage Monopole. https://www.tc2m.info/TC2M HF Vertical G8JNJ.pdf It seems that a End Fed Multi Element Half Wave over ground plane would work very nicely. Bob, N4PSK
On page 5 of that article it clearly states, "It (TFCM) also suffers from the lower gain and pattern asymmetry associated with the terminated folded dipole antenna it is originally derived from." So, after reading that juicy tidbit of revealing information, I must ask, "Why not make a fan ground plane instead?" Multiband capability, one 50-70 ohm feedline, no induced loss to begin with and with a few feet of elevation using 2-4 (or more, if desired) tuned radials---is quite likely to outperform the TFCM. I found my 10-15-17-20m fan vertical to be easy to set up and tune initially and it gets the job done (I like to chase dx). No tune, instant bandswitching is such a joy! To each his own; but just a thought from a fan vertical fan...
I would like to hear from hams who have built this design. It looks fabulous and his reports are amazing. The construction is not simple.
Many, many years ago, while on St Helena, I worked someone in the Marshall Islands on 20m Using a 10-20-40 version of this (horizontal) design, as I recall 59 both ways on 100 Watts, pretty much on the opposite side of the world. Mind you propagation was a lot better back then.....
I can vouch for it: Chuck (W1HIS)lives about 1/2 mile from me, and gets out extremely well with this. I have not built it. Chuck is a retired MIT prof and knows his stuff. There's lots of great antenna designs that hams have ignored (and shouldn't have). This is one of them. 73 Chip W1YW
The radials need to be between the coax and the antenna, in order to minimize common mode current on the feedline. The drawing in post #96 shows the feedline above the radials, and it depicts a very poor installation.
My grandfather had one of those large soldering irons. He taught me how to use it on large diameter wire such as #10 stranded. Fond memories.
