Appreciate the comments, and the link to the UK version of amsat.  To KO4MA, Your two "thoughts" make my point clear.  Launching satellites and maintaining interest in satellite operations costs money, and a useful and attractive Website on the "flagship website" would probably go a long way to attracting some of the many new amateur operators entering the hobby.  I have donated to the launch funds, but a proper attention to the site would attract new membership.  If we acknowledge where the work needs to be done, we can do it.  Can anyone here look at the currant Amsat NA site and state that they think we are going to attract the membership and funding to get more satellites  launched?  I don't think so...  I know it is a great deal of work to make a quality website, but if you are trying to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding, (just like grant writing) you show a "polished" finished proposal.  the Amsat page is the "face" we show to new hobbyists AND potential donors.   

When the tuner "matches the load", the antenna system is resonant by IEEE definition. The random length of wire winds up being one component in a resonant antenna system just as the caps and coils in the tuner are components in the resonant antenna system. Such can be proven by using a grid dip meter on the random length of antenna wire after the tuner is properly adjusted. Assuming the receiver has a 50 ohm input impedance, the GDO will indicate a resonant dip very close to the transmitter frequency after the tuner has achieved a match.

http://www.w5dxp.com/OWT1.htm

KB4QAA,

I think the point of the web page cited by K3ANG is that there are certain lengths that a "random" wire will be easier to match.  Many of the tuners/couplers in use have difficulty matching a "random" wire that is very close to a half wavelength at the desired frequency.  Some lengths manage to avoid that situation on all bands, and therefore the reason for such web pages.  The antenna works "better", simply because it can be matched with commonly available tuners/couplers.

73 de wb0ksl
John

Lengths that work, and don't work, for random wire antennas.
http://www.hamuniverse.com/randomwireantennalengths.html
de K3ANG

And is why I stated a 50 ohm Non inductive surge impedance as driven at the antenna expressed as a 50 ohm Rr.