Bobby W6IWN Gets the Faraday Treatment
Updated: October 18 2025 — Educational review of Bobby W6IWN’s “Chameleon FSR Faraday Strip Radial System” video. The goal isn’t ridicule—it’s education: showing how DC assumptions differ from real RF behavior.
Bobby W6IWN Gets the Faraday Treatment
▶ 00:01:00 – The DMM continuity “proof”
Why it’s incomplete: A DMM beep proves only DC continuity; at HF, surface currents, oxide films, and clamp geometry add impedance unseen at DC.
Better approach: Measure the RF impedance (S11) with a VNA while flexing connections – you’ll see how small contact imperfections change HF behavior.
▶ 00:01:13 – Spiking into earth for “better grounding”
Why it’s misleading: Soil is lossy; real RF return is on the radials, not through the ground stake. Driving current into dirt wastes power as heat.
Better approach: Use the stake for stability only. A/B measure field strength or WSPR spots with and without ground contact—you’ll see little gain or a loss.
▶ 00:02:20 – “Good for 6 through 40 m” claim
Why that’s oversimplified: Two 20-ft strips act as non-resonant radials; impedance and efficiency swing wildly by band.
Better understanding: Only a broadband matching network or tuner can cover 6–40 m usefully. SWR plots per band would make the claim transparent.
▶ 00:03:56 – “Just drape the strips down”
Why that changes behavior: Elevated strips become sloped radiators and couple to the feedline, skewing the pattern and feed impedance.
Better approach: Treat it as an elevated vertical with 2–4 resonant radials per band at 90° spacing and a 1:1 choke at the feedpoint. If you can’t tune radials, ground-mounted ones give stable but slightly lower efficiency.
▶ 00:04:59 – “Pop in a whip, hook up coax, done”
Why it’s incomplete: Without a choke, the feedline becomes part of the antenna, altering both pattern and SWR.
Better understanding: Insert a common-mode choke (mix 31 or 43 ferrite) at the feedpoint to test the antenna alone, not the whole coax as radiator.
▶ 00:05:36 – “23 % more efficient”
Why that’s doubtful: 23 % equals about 0.9 dB—less than normal propagation variation. Without controlled A/B tests it’s statistical noise.
Better method: Run paired WSPR A/B tests using identical feedlines and chokes to see true differences (you’ll barely notice them 😉).
Takeaway
The Faraday strap concept is mechanically sound but RF behavior is governed by contact resistance, current distribution, and feedline control—not DC continuity or earth stakes. Measure RF, not resistance, to find truth.
Mini-FAQ
- Why isn’t a DMM enough? RF skin effect and contact impedance dominate over DC resistance.
- What’s wrong with grounding radials? Soil loss turns RF into heat instead of radiation.
- Why tune elevated radials? Their resonance sets the counterpoise and feed stability.
- How to prove efficiency? Compare WSPR A/B spots or far-field tests using identical chokes and feedlines.
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