[Elecraft] RF build up

[BlandRanch]

Ron,

I love it when you wax poetic......

Chuck

From:           	"Ron D'Eau Claire" <rondec at easystreet.com>
To:             	<elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Subject:        	RE: FW: [Elecraft] RF build up
Date sent:      	Wed, 22 Dec 2004 09:04:29 -0800

> Lo' these all-too-many-winters ago there were actual reports of Hams using
> folded dipoles with open wire line in heavy ice/snow regions. As y'all
> probably know, a folded dipole has a direct current continuity across the
> feeders, since it's essentially a dipole with an extra wire running parallel
> to the dipole radiator and connected at each end. 
> 
> If a dangerously heavy ice coating appeared, they'd connect the feeders to a
> variable power source and allow enough current to flow to heat the wires and
> melt the ice. Took a while, but it beat trying to splice and raise the
> antenna again in mid-winter. 
> 
> Being a "California Boy" in those days - Southern California at that - I
> never really had any need to test the idea first-hand. While others were
> snowed and iced-in up to their end-insulators, we were praying for a few
> drops of rain before the dry season resumed in the spring. 
> 
> Ron AC7AC