Hey All,
LONG shot on this one- but :
I am wondering about pics I saw MANY,MANY years ago of an antenna in Israel. (If we could , please leave politics and "current events" out of any replies- strictly a technical discussion -thanks).
I believe that the Israelis had a "hardened" antenna (if I recall correctly) for AM broadcast. It consisted of heavy steel I beams welded in series stood off on large insulators , very close to the ground (6' up ?) .There may have been protective earthen dikes around it as well.
Probably a miserable pattern for local ground wave but maybe via NVIS- MAYBE ?? . But if one really cranked up the juice then tuned and loaded it properly, I suppose it COULD ground wave "radiate" MAYBE enough to cover a limited area ( ie maybe just around Tel Aviv ?). If nothing else, a fascinating technical concept (re being bomb "resistant"), even if it was a real dog re power in vs. power out. Transmitter was likely in a bunker.
I can't find a THING about this online and I can only imagine it may be long gone by now.
It also seems that Israel in general is now completely off of the AM broadcast band for ALL (ALL) outlets and that Kol Yisrael is also long gone off shortwave ( anyone ,any info ?).
Israeli Army Radio / Galgalatz now seems to be on FM only as well. Not sure if the I beam antenna was theirs or not for civil defense purposes. Also WAY, WAY back in the day, I THINK they were also on shortwave, maybe using SSB (anyone, any info, frequencies used /mode ?).
I have personally seen "a sort of" "hardened" antenna on the Maginot Line Fortifications near Bitche, France. Large steel brackets on a vertical wall held a large gauge long wire antenna on heavy insulators. Certainly not nearly as beefy as an I beam antenna, but "tough enough" against small arms fire ( I guess) .
de K