[Lowfer] AMRAD Vertical

[David Willmore]

> Seriously, this idea looks like a good one Bob. Inside my final box I could 
> form a high voltage capacitor (like 10pf @5kV) by wrapping a wire around one 
> of the leads going to the loop (the loop floats relative to gnd). This 
> 'lightening signal' could be brought back to the shack via an unused wire in 
> my existing supply cable. Has anyone tried using a fluorescent tube 
> connected to an antenna for a bigger effect?

Too high of a trigger voltage to provide any gate protection for your FET, I'm
afraid.  Also, the slew rate of the input signal is too limited by stray 
capacitence to get the thing triggered in the time the pulse is coming through--
some 40W florescent tubes can take upwards of 10KV to strike.  Small 4W tubes
might work.

On a similarly off topic note, I did see one design where a fellow designed a
strobe with no trigger circuit.  He took the lead that winds around the xenon
tube (that would normally have 4KV pulsed to it to 'trigger' the strobe) and
ran it to a whip antenna.  Static in the winter would set it off when it built
up enough.  Rubbing a baloon on your hair a few feet away would be enough
to trigger it.  It would also sometimes trigger when lighning struck nearby.
Sort of a dual strike effect.  Maybe I should go build one. :)

Cheers,
David