[Elecraft] Running Amok and Grounded Antennas (WAS: Re Cans and KPH)

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Fred wrote:
There was a typo in my KSM/KPH post:  My brain knew that they activate 
the station on Sunday, but my fingers ran amok and typed Saturday.

--------------
Hey, how else can you get to use a neat word like "amok". It's as much fun
to say as it is to write...

Oh yeah, even 600 meters comes in from KPH here FB in the evenings, about
600 miles up the coast from their transmitters. For SWL's, the HF/LF bands
are great fun - lots of non-directional beacons all over the country to
'DX', etc., although the transmissions get even more boring that "reading
the mail" on contest exchanges <G>. Folks who can monitor VLF can even get a
chance to listen for Grimedon's huge alternator transmitter from a century
ago - nothing more than a huge AC generator hooked to an antenna working on
17 kHz with a key in the antenna circuit. (That's one you don't want to bump
the contacts on with your hand...) It's in Sweden. 

One work the world on 500 kHz even with QRP and a short antenna. I'm aware
of one instance of a hand-cranked lifeboat radio, running a couple of watts
into an electrically short antenna on 500 kHz in the Mediterranean Sea,
being heard half way around the world clearly enough to trigger a search in
the middle of the Pacific ocean. 

As we've discussed many times here on the reflector, when using a short
antenna, the ground is EVERYTHING! And sitting in the middle of an ocean
filled with salt water is about as good as a ground can get...

Ron AC7AC