‰ NOW 35 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM JUNE 2015 QST PAGE 63‰ WELL, A DIPOLE IS AN INHERENTLY BALANCED ANTENNA, AND EACH SIDE IS EQUIVALENT. WE GENERALLY THINK OF A COUNTERPOISE AS A METALLIC STRUCTURE EITHER ACTING AS AN ARTIFICIAL GROUND, OR SOMETIMES ALSO ACTING AS ONE PLATE OF A CAPACITOR COUPLING TO THE GROUND UNDERNEATH. A WAVE ANTENNA, SUCH AS A GROUND PLANE, MONOPOLE, OR MARCONI END FED WIRE, DEPENDS ON THE GROUND SYSTEM, OR COUNTERPOISE TO ACT AS THE OTHER HALF OF THE ANTENNA. THE ANTENNAS RADIATION OCCURS BECAUSE OF THE TIME VARYING FIELD SET UP BETWEEN THE MONOPOLE AND THE ASSOCIATED GROUND SYSTEM. IN A DIPOLE, THE RADIATION OCCURS BECAUSE OF THE TIME VARYING ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD BETWEEN THE TWO HALVES OF THE DIPOLE. SO IN A SENSE, IN ALL CASES, THE ANTENNA ITSELF DOESNT RADIATE AT ALL IT IS THE FIELDS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE PARTS OF THE ANTENNA THAT DO THE RADIATING, WHILE THE ANTENNA ITSELF SETS UP THE FIELDS. IN A DIPOLE, EACH SIDE IS EQUALLY INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. PERHAPS YOUR FRIEND IS CONFUSED BY THE FACT THAT THE COAX SHIELD IS OFTEN CONNECTED TO ONE SIDE OF THE DIPOLE AND AT THE STATION END IS USUALLY CONNECTED TO GROUND. WHILE BOTH ENDS OF THE SHIELD ARE AT A SIMILAR DC POTENTIAL, IF THE CABLE IS OF ANY LENGTH THE ANTENNA END IS AT A VERY DIFFERENT RF POTENTIAL. IF THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHIELD IS PROPERLY DECOUPLED TO AVOID COMMON MODE CURRENT, THE RF VOLTAGE ON THE ANTENNA END OF THE COAX ‰ END OF 35 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ