The Cult of the Sacred Stubs
The Cult of the Sacred Stubs
Every few years, ham radio blesses us with a new belief system. Sometimes it’s the Order of the Holy Coax Shield. Sometimes the Church of the Eternal 49:1. And sometimes… we get the legendary 84-Meter Loop of Brother Stublius, dangling 3 meters above ground like a mystical RF clothesline.
This masterpiece is woven in one sacred piece of copper — no breaks, no joints — from Balun Alpha to Balun Omega. And decorated with divine 600-ohm stubs “calculated” by Prof. LadderLine using methods unknown to man and forbidden by Maxwell.
Chapter 1 — The SNR Miracle (That Never Was)
On 160 m and 80 m, atmospheric noise dominates everything. Adding stubs cannot increase SNR — only reduce both signal and noise.
It is the RF equivalent of sticking cotton in your ears and declaring the room got quieter. Correct, yes. Helpful, no.
“Look, the noise went down — the antenna must be better!” — Brother Stublius
No, Brother… both the noise and your signal went down. That’s not improvement — that’s audio self-care.
Chapter 2 — Where Theory Goes to Die: 3 Meters Above Soil
Placed beside walls, roofs, gutters, and several metric tons of ground loss, the Sacred Stubs behave less like transmission lines and more like wet spaghetti in an RF sauna.
“But Prof. LadderLine made them symmetrical!” — Reverend Coaximus
Symmetry does not matter when the Earth itself politely says:
“Non.” — Mother Ground
Chapter 3 — Reality vs. Revelation
Physics: “Atmospheric noise dominates low-band SNR.”
Believer: “I assure you my S/N improved!”
Physics: “That is not how electromagnetics works.”
Believer: “I assure you it does!”
Behold the birth of yet another RF denomination.
Chapter 4 — The 5 kW Enlightenment (and Mild Human Roasting)
Just when the RF gods thought the saga had peaked, Brother Stublius reveals the ultimate act of faith:
Running more than 5 kW into a low loop with humans standing nearby.
A loop:
- 3–5 meters above ground,
- wrapped around buildings, cars, and innocent bystanders,
- glowing with enough near-field energy to reheat leftovers.
This is no longer amateur radio. This is microwave therapy for unsuspecting neighbors.
“Safe distances? Exposure limits? My stubs will protect me.” — Brother Stublius, last seen glowing faintly at 3.6 MHz
At 5+ kW, that loop is not an antenna — it is a human-grade induction heater.
Ignoring RF safety doesn’t make it disappear. It just makes you the world’s first involuntary QRO rotisserie.
Final Revelation — Maxwell Does NOT Join Your Cult
You may debate SWR. You may polish your 600-ohm stubs. You may summon Prof. LadderLine for guidance.
But you cannot negotiate with:
- ground coupling,
- low-band physics,
- or RF exposure limits designed to keep humans uncooked.
Sacred Stubs don’t “improve” low-band noise. They merely reduce system gain enough to hide the symptoms. They are RF painkillers — not engineering.
And running 5 kW into this contraption isn’t “experimenting.” It’s survival-horror electromagnetics.
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