Part I of this paper discusses the relative importance of the factors which limit the intelligibility of short-wave radio telephone communication. The more important of these factors are inherent set noise, external noise (static, etc.), and signal fading. The possibility of counteracting these limitations through antenna directivity is indicated. Part 2 describes an antenna system which maintains a desirable degree of directivity throughout a broad continuous range of frequencies. The cost of this antenna is more favorable than that of many types of fixed frequency antennas of equal effectiveness.