ON6URE PoTaSupreme™ eats POTA Performer for breakfast
The so-called “POTA Performer” has been making the rounds lately, presented as a high-performance portable antenna for field ops. Supposedly it’s a miracle worker: a quarter-wave vertical with two elevated radials, boasting “up to 4 dB of gain” in one direction. Sounds impressive—until you look at the RF physics behind it.
What’s Really in the Box?
The POTA Performer is simply a ¼-wavelength vertical with two radials. Those radials can be in-line (180°) or L-shaped (90°). Depending on placement, you introduce a modest imbalance that causes a slight skew in the radiation pattern.
Slight is the keyword. You get a minor front-to-back effect from unbalanced current return. It’s not a Yagi. It’s just a vertical with a lopsided ground system.
Directivity and RDF — What’s Really Happening
With four symmetrical radials, a quarter-wave vertical is omnidirectional; RDF (Receive Directivity Factor) is ~0 dB. Remove two radials and misalign them, and you disturb symmetry. Yes, you may see ~1–2 dB of skewed directivity. But that’s not extra gain—it’s just redistribution of existing power.
When marketing says “+4 dB gain,” they usually mean “a little more forward, a little less backward.” That’s not magic. That’s imbalance.
| Radials & Geometry | Pattern Type | Indicative RDF (dB) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 radials, symmetric | Omni (clean) | ~0 | Balanced return → no azimuth preference |
| 2 radials, 180° or 90° | Mild skew | ~1–2 | Small F/B due to unbalanced return |
| 1 radial (PoTaSupreme™) | Clear skew | ~2–3 | Return current follows the one path you allow |
Values are illustrative. RDF “improvement” here comes from redistribution of the same ERP, not added forward gain.
Enter the ON6URE PoTaSupreme™
Why stop at two radials? Go radical: one radial only. A classic ¼-wave vertical with a single return path. Think of it as a dipole turned sideways and propped up.
Now the current has only one way home, so the pattern skews toward that radial. Directionality becomes obvious without the marketing fluff. The physics is brutally honest: current follows the path you give it. Give it one, and it’ll beam that way.
Result? More directionality than the POTA Performer, without claiming mystical 4 dB. Just simple RF logic: fewer radials = more imbalance = more skew.
NEC Doesn’t Lie — But People Misread It
Yes, NEC can simulate this. But NEC assumes idealized conditions unless you explicitly include losses, soil, mounting, detuning, and real hardware. A pretty plot showing “3 dB forward gain” isn’t what your tripod-in-the-mud system radiates on a breezy hilltop.
Use simulations to understand current flow and visualize trends, then validate with far-field strength measurements if you want to quote dBs in public.
Conclusion
The POTA Performer works—but it’s not a revolution. It’s a ¼-wave with two asymmetric radials, nothing more. The ON6URE PoTaSupreme™ proves the point: take away even more radials and you get even more skew. Want real forward gain? Step up to a true two-element parasitic array and enjoy an honest ~3 dB. Otherwise, enjoy the joke: less is more.
And you don’t need a NEC license to see it.
Mini-FAQ
- Does removing radials create gain? — No. It redistributes power and skews the pattern; ERP doesn’t increase.
- What RDF can I expect? — ~0 dB with four radials, ~1–2 dB with two, ~2–3 dB with a single radial (indicative).
- How should I read NEC plots? — As trends under assumptions. Add real losses/ground and validate on air before quoting dB.
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