[BC] Wave lengths

[JYRussell@academicplanet.com]

Thanks for the answers guys.  I appreciate your time very much.

I think I get it;  at least so far.
Seems like you're comparing the distance a radio wave 'would travel, in free 
space, in a fixed period of time' to where it 'actually ends up' after 
travelling for the same fixed period of time.... when it's being affected by 
something besides 'free space'.

  And what's slowing the 'RF Wave' down on it's trip along the center and 
outside shield of the coax is some kinda weirdness at the point where the 
insulation and the copper meet.   A ratio of 'where it is' versus 'where it 
oughta be' gives a funny version of efficiency called "velocity factor'.

so, you should be able to use the numbers for the 'velocity factor' to know 
pretty closely where the wave multiples are in any coax you've got the 
velocity factor for (if you know the f(mhz)...

   Have I got it so far?

    So, does the negative part (the ground shield) of the coax have other 
weirdness where it meets the (usually) black outer cover??  Seems like that 
conductor has two junctions, one inner (foam) and one outer (black stuff).
??  How come half the wave isn't slowed down more than the other??

   I could see how ladder line (balanced, parallel lines held apart by 
insulators...) would have the same 'velocity effecting' factors, since 
they're both out in the air... but in normal 'unbalanced' coax, it would 
seem the outer conductor has a junction with insulation the inner conductor 
doesn't have... so is there a difference you can see by comparing those 
signals, if you know what to look for...?
Or is the 'velocity factor' sort of a combination of all the above... ?

Jason