[Elecraft] OT: Dry air static

[Fred VE3FAL]

Snow static as well during blizzards do wonders to light up a neon bulb. I used to put one between my long-wire and ground, even wind when it would get a good swing would do the same thing

Fred
VE3FAL

Sent from my iPhone
Fred VE3FAL/CIW649


> On Oct 31, 2018, at 19:13, Rose <elecraftcovers at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Fred,
> 
> I recall the output capacitor of the pi-net capacitor in my HT-17
> rythmatically snapping in response to the charged particles of dust in the
> dry Oklahoma air
> building up on the long wire antenna. (;-)
> 
> 73 !
> 
> K0PP
> kengkopp at gmail.com
> 
>> On Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 16:42 Fred Jensen <k6dgw at foothill.net wrote:
>> 
>> Hmmm ... There seem to be different flavors of static.  My reference was
>> to what is often called "precipitation static" [rain, snow, maybe hail]
>> and which can sometimes also be caused by wind blowing sand/dust past
>> the antenna.  It sounds like bacon frying in the receiver.  Each drop or
>> snowflake acquires a minuscule charge falling or blowing which
>> discharges into the antenna on contact.  The typical semiconductor
>> devices in radio front ends these days exhibit a nearly infinite
>> impedance to "ground" and a tiny capacitance.  The constant little
>> pulses from the static charge that capacitance with essentially no
>> discharge path.  That's what fried the 1st 760 II and then, predictably,
>> the second one.
>> 
>> There is also the combined "static" caused by distant thunderstorms.
>> 
>> INT QRN: "Are you troubled by static"
>> QRN: "I am troubled by static"
>> 
>> which is different than "static" caused by corona or leakage on a high
>> voltage power transmission line.
>> 
>> 73,
>> 
>> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
>> Sparks NV DM09dn
>> Washoe County
>> 
>> PS:  For those about to tell me "nearly infinite" is a meaningless term,
>> save the BW.  I know, I hold a math degree.  Just using a little
>> editorial license.
>> 
>>> On 10/31/2018 3:10 PM, ab2tc wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> 
>>> It's a dead short circuit for DC and low frequencies thanks to the SWR
>>> bridge (it has a voltage transformer directly across the antenna
>> terminals).
>>> There seems to be different opinions on what is meant by "static". To me
>> it
>>> means a slowly varying DC voltage caused by static buildup in the clouds
>>> during or before thunderstorms. The K3(S) is perfectly protected against
>>> these. Some people include the transients that are caused by actual
>>> lightning strikes nearby in the definition of "static". The K3(S) is not
>>> protected against these as they have very strong high frequency content.
>> For
>>> these extra protection is needed as discussed several places in this
>> thread.
>>> I have a number of Alpha-Delta switches in my antenna system and they
>> have
>>> gas discharge tubes, but frankly I have no idea how effective they are.
>>> 
>>> AB2TC - Knut
>>> 
>>> 
>>> wayne burdick wrote
>>>>> On Oct 30, 2018, at 12:50 PM, Fred Jensen &lt;
>>>> k6dgw@
>>>> &gt; wrote:
>>>>> Does my K3 have a static bleed across the antenna terminal(s)?
>>>> Yes.
>>>> 
>>>> Wayne
>>>> N6KR
>>>> <snip>
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
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