[TowerTalk] Lightning... and pointed rods!

[David Robbins]

the effect of aircraft static dischargers is to provide an easy path for static
on the plane to create corona and bleed off.  note this is a MUCH, MUCH, smaller
charge than what develops between a cloud and ground since it is only on the
outside surface of the plane.  the original purpose of these was to provide a
spot for corona to form other than on the radio antennas where it would disrupt
communications.  by making an easy spot for corona to form and remove some of
the charge the electric field gradient around the antennas is kept low enough to
keep them  from forming corona.  also note that you can't remove all of the
charge it since it takes some minimun charge to create the corona in the first
place.

the experiment i would like to see is for someone to connect and disconnect one
of those porcupines during an attack of snow static and see if it can prevent
the noise that disrupts reception... anyone brave (or crazy) enough to try
that???

Michael Tope wrote:
> 
> Most aircraft in the world are equipped with "static dischargers"
> which are essentially pointed carbon rods mounted on the wings
> designed to bleed off charge gently so as to prevent arcing from
> the fuselage.
> 
> The fact that almost every aircraft you can lay your eyes on has
> a set of these mounted on its wings does tend to lend some
> credence to the theory behind  the porcupines.

-- 
David Robbins K1TTT
e-mail: mailto://k1ttt@berkshire.net
web: http://www.berkshire.net/~robbins/k1ttt.html or http://www.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://k1ttt.net

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