"Ron Webb" wrote in message
...

I can't find a simple explaination of this on the web. It's not a simple
subject. It involves Electric fields and magnetic fields in space, In
order
to propogate, they must be set up in a certain geometric arrangement.
http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-ed/light/em-rad.html . That is what an
antenna
does.

A ground plane has to be close to right angles to the antenna conductor.
One right behind the conductor will not work well at all, because it
doesn't
allow the electric and magnetic fields to both be at right angles to each
other and to the direction of travel.



Hi Ron,

Thanks for the reply and for the interesting link to the web site. I'm sure
you're right and I figure that there must be some fundamental flaw in my
thinking about this; otherwise everyone with carbon fiber airplanes would
already be doing it since nobody wants a bunch of antennas hanging out in
the airstream.

Thanks,
Dennis