If you gap a pair of spheres .... graphite, brass, or stainless
steel... typically the thickness of a credit card for a 1/4 wave
broadcast tower at 1KW carrier / 4KW peak; unless you shield the gap,
water WILL bridge the gap either side-by-side or stacked vertically.
Rain drops are typically pure distilled water, but if the water runs
down a galvanized tower, all bets are off. Make a rain shield out
of a plastic Coke or Pepsi bottle and replace a couple of times a
year as you inspect all of your connections.
Don ( still doing Broadcast AMs after all these years ) W4DNR
Quoting Jim Thomson <jim.thom@telus.net>:
## Place a plastic cover above any outdoor spark gap. Any
bugs will be fried.
Jim VE7RF
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