[Lowfer] WC2XSR/13 rain problems today

[Ralph Hartwell]

> I'm really intrigued about one part of Ralph's message, though:
>
> >> If the droplet
> >>reached critical size, and just before it fell away from the gap
leg, if
> >>the transmitter turned on at that moment, the high electric field
would
> >>attract the water droplet into the narrow portion of the gap itself.
>
>
> I've seen static electric fields do this, of course, but has anyone
ever
> seen an account before of an electric field oscillating at an RF rate
> attracting water droplets?  Ralph, is there some circumstance which
could
> account for a high DC voltage being present on the antenna at that
same
> time?

Not that I know of.  The drop was quite stable until the RF was turned
on, then it swung sideways towards the opposite electrode.  It's
probably part of the effects that a brush discharge causes.  I remember
putting a little star wheel on top of my 811A driven Tesla coil and
watching the brush discharge spin the wheel like crazy.  I never tried
to attract anything with it, though.

73,

Ralph   W5JGV / WC2XSR / 13

http://home.att.net/~shmrg

http://home.att.net/~ralph.hartwell