Bob, I more or less see skewing in all my models when a physical matching device is add to the simple construction of these CB antennas I've modeled. A model over real Earth with a circular tuning coil also makes some horizontal RF and it to shows up in the pattern if I turn on both vertical and horizontal polarization for a model. The difference seems to be the smaller the tuner is the less horizontal RF shows up in the pattern.
Well, it is possible something else is going on here and this model is in error, but the first free space model of the I-10K I ever did to specs and including my idea for the trombone tuner...showed very similar results. Earlier I tried to explain why IMO you haven't seen similar patterns. It's basically because nobody is modeling this way. I don't believe this, but some error could be the culprit causing this skewing...if it is not the tuning device.
I tried to engage in constructive conversations going on back then, but the critics of modeling simply drowned out my ideas, and it left me discouraged in following up with this particular model. Besides that...I never saw anything of a particular advantage for the I-10K...except that the antenna is was very sturdy and I thought it made a good pattern over Real Earth.
I was excited when I got my new I-10K and I gave it some praise, but over the long haul the antenna did not impress me in performance.
Plus I recall you and I talking about the strange matching effects we both saw, and that topic too fell on deaf ears, beyond our conversations.
I made plenty of such claims about the I-10K, but nobody wanted to hear it. They probably thought I was nothing but a trouble maker. I even tried to talk to Jay about what I was seeing in a model of his antenna. I don't remember him responding at all. This was on Mauldroppers.
Bob, just adding back the mast is not all that causes the model to make a real Earth pattern look different than a free space model. In fact my mast in this case is isolated (ISO) from the antenna...so it has very little effect at all.
Bob, you are correct. But, for simple convenience in modeling...I model the I-10K with symmetrical radials, so that is not the problem in skewing we see here. In fact, I did a model of the antenna making the radials asymmetrical and I saw very little to no difference.
I could do a bunch of models trying to describe the difference between these free space models and the effects we've seen so far. Then I would have to do the same for real world models as in this case, but I won't. I stopped modeling this antenna once before.
Besides, this would get very detailed and confusing for everybody including me. Modeling is not always easy work.
I know the differences I see, and my words on the subject will not change anybodies thinking and I'm not sure if models help either. Probably most folks that model...think I'm going down a rabbit hole making this model with a physical matching device, and I don't want to try and convince them either. That said however, so of the models with such a physical matching device do work.
I see the real world pattern I get for the I-10K as a plus, but the antenna does not seem to make the gain I was expecting. I have old models for the antenna that showed >5.00 dbi gain at 1 wavelength...but those models were not tested against a good Free Space model showing a good Average Gain.
