Short and sweet.
Excellent insight by the engineer.
You did a good job explaining it.
73

I started with a true Zeppelin on 30m. Worked the world QRP.

Excellent discussion !

Informative as always.  I noticed you mentioned transmit antenna, I'm going to have to go watch your videos on receive only and transmit antennas.

My first Novice antenna in 1969 was an end-fed 130-foot wire with an L-C network from the ARRL Handbook. It loaded but I think the Heathkit chassis and house wiring was the counterpoise; ouch.

I made a comment several hours ago and it doesn't show up?

Steppir antennas.  The length of the element is mechanically changed to achieve the proper length for the band you are using. No gimmicks. No power limitations. Expensive when bought new, much cheaper 2nd hand. 160 is not really an option, but 80-6 is straightforward for the vertical, 40-6 for most Yagi's.

Why not just a plain wire dipole?  It'd be simpler and perform better, and it would be dead easy to fan up a bunch of them.  Even a simple balun is hardly required.

ON6URE for the win!!!

So I've been experimenting with various antenna configurations and your last comment sums up what I've found by building my own and even experimenting with some commercial multi band antennas.  In my case I learned that raising a vertical with elevated radials up to 30ft, got both the receive and transmit radiation pattern above the noise plane in my neighborhood where the noise floor dropped from S4 at 20ft, to S0 at 30ft.  I wound up taking down my noisier 20m 30ft dipole element which I had been using, but suffering with the noise floor.

The vertical is quiet at that same height for 6-20m  My theory is that, due to it's tuned elevated radials, it's just not as efficient picking up noise sources from below it.  

You always have accurate, interesting information.  Thank you!

Engineers look great on paper. But they have erasers.