Camouflaging antenna

[Kelly A]

I was exposed to calculators well before being exposed to computer languages, so the advantages of RPN didn’t become apparent to me until later on. There’s also a “forward” notation but I don’t know that anyone has done much with it.

I was the other way around. If I remembered a formula I'd use a slide rule or a basic calculator. It wasn't until I started taking advanced calculus and Statics that I needed a more powerful calculator, or would just solve the problem with a quick application written in Fortran or Turbo Pascal. For math-related, mainly Fortran.
The funny thing was I had a side hustle in 1998 modifying applications written in Fortran to make their clocks and calendars work before the dreaded Y2K scare/fiasco. If you asked me to write something in Fortran today, it would look like Arabic.

 

[Kelly A]

The only thing worse than a NIMBY is a CAVE person. Citizens Against Virtually Everything. My Dad had to deal with them to get permission to start the City of Blue Ridge's procurement of CSX property for the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. The CAVE people were against putting new play ground equipment in the city park too. "More kids will make too much noise".

Sounds like you have a few examples of Clint Eastwood in Grand Torino.
But seriously, I wouldn't try painting it with colored paint unless you want to spend a lot of time with a chemical paint stripper once you find out there's a lot of reflected power. At least don't paint the insulator where the feed point/tuning arms connect to. That's plastic and could be ruined if you have to strip all the colored paint off.

 

[secondchoice]

Thanks. I was hoping someone had defeated the laws of physics successfully and I could copy. I have experienced what a little ice can can do to the reflected power readings. I was just hoping the spray paint would be thin enough not to be an issue.

 

[pclover]

With so many of today's "engineers" capable of inserting M.2 SSDs and about nothing else, I wonder if all of this is a lost art.

From an outside perspective it seems the industry is dying.

If your a skilled RF Engineer stuff like Microwave backhauls, Cellular, Satellite etc. has much better outlook then broadcast radio. Obviously a different beast with other issues that appear but the ground fundamentals remain the same.

Also, It looks like big media groups do not keep skilled RF engineers on staff and it becomes lowest bid contractor.

 

[Kelly A]

From an outside perspective it seems the industry is dying.

Except for AM, I wouldn't say it's dying, more like it continues to find a place in the media landscape since radio and TV is no longer the only game in town.

If your a skilled RF Engineer stuff like Cellular or Satellite has much better outlook then broadcast radio. Obviously a different beast with other issues that appear but the ground fundamentals remain the same.

Most of the EE students that understand RF have indeed gone directly toward the Cell/PCS business or military. Even then, they're usually contractors.

Also, It looks like big media groups do not keep skilled RF engineers on staff and it becomes lowest bid contractor.

There are still folks around that know their way around transmission equipment, but what's lacking are techs that can keep 40+ year old transmitters working. Most of the larger groups aren't spending capital on things like new transmitters. Some seasoned and qualified folks that know how to fix and maintain older gear have over twenty stations under their care.