That's fair Homer. I see them identical also until I raise the antennas up like Merlin suggested. I'm not trying to change your mind, we each have to do that ourselves...based on our own experiences. Did I steer you wrong on the AstroPlane idea I tried to convince you about before you got yours off that old building?
Regarding the theory, I think this proves to me that the coil close to the top hat does not produce any ill affects in the modeling at least.
Regarding the claim that Merlin published: If you think about the Merlin getting all the antennas at the same tip height then you may see this issue a little differently, just like the eham guys are suggested to BM.
I hope the models I just posted lets you see the difference a few inches can make, and therein lies the snake oil that manufactures and talking heads all use to justify their point. They say it makes a difference, and I say the difference is meaningless. Believe me, I'm not trying to support the Merlin, I think my model shows that the SD'r is still a bit better, but I have not studied why yet. My best guess is that it has radials that are slanted down more, and that is why I put the other antenna in the overlay I sent you. Did I make that clear yet?
Of course the results in the real world may be different. We see this every day, but hanging my hat on a theory that I haven't tried to duplicate and prove is a big "IF" with me. I hope you keep us posted.
I tested my A/P with a full 1/4 wave radiator and I was not impressed. It didn't stay up there long even though it look pretty good.
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