Plasma antennas?

[W1VD]

http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_account/stealth_antenna_made_of_gas_impervious_to_jamming

'impervious to jamming' ... jamming an antenna?

can hear it now...running legal limit to 135' of center fed plasma at 60 feet...fed with 6 inch open plasma to a link coupled tuner...

[K9ACT]

That article is a joke.  This wondrous stealth antenna "disappears" leaving behind something resembling a fluorescent light bulb.  That is hardly disappearing nor does it seem useful at all for battle field use.. "easily reconfigured"?

Obviously someone in need of a PhD topic.

js

[W1ATR]

"Obviously someone in need of a PhD topic.

js."

Mention that it's aimed at the military and that's all it takes to secure yourself a couple million $$$ research grant, regardless if it works or not. Spend half the grant developing it only to find out it won't work, and use the other half of the grant to research something more to your liking, like a nice home in the country.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I thought any antenna could become a plasma antenna? Simply increase output sufficiently! 

[k4kyv]

If it really could be made to work, I could imagine what kind of receiving antenna it would make. 

[K9ACT]

If it really could be made to work, I could imagine what kind of receiving antenna it would make. 

It would probably work better on receive when turned off.  It would be very quiet, no light to distract or noise from DC to light from the plasma and no antenna but still probably better than turning it on.

js