[TowerTalk] New power line phenomena problem

[Gene Smar]

Jim:

     As you can see from the patent app, it's been over twenty years since I
worked on this system.  My memory is ...., uh.... hmmm.... what was I
saying?

     I'm afraid I can't give you quantitative answers (How long a barbed
wire fence do I need to induce X volts in it?)  The answer depends on the
geometry of the two wires (how far apart are they?) and the operating
voltage of the line itself and, I think, on the load actually carried by the
HV line.

     We did the calcs back in the power company based on the specific
spatial configuration of the wires in the transmission line.  As I recall,
for our 230 kV line at PP&L, we needed at least three 600-foot long spans of
ground wire, separated from the main conductors by thirty feet or so (the
average separation at that voltage) and insulated from the tower itself with
procelain insulators, to pick off a couple kiloWatts of energy at a couple
thousand volts.  We included a pole pig (pole mounted transformer) in our
design to reduce the couplakilovolts down to 240 VAC for use in our
invention.

BOTTOM LINE:  If the line is long enough and close enough to a power line
that's hot enough voltagewise, at a minimum you could get a nasty bite from
the fence.

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Miller" <JimMiller at STL-Online.Net>
To: "Gene Smar" <ersmar at comcast.net>; <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] New power line phenomena problem


> Interesting,
>
> 1. How much power(current through a voltage regulator possibly) and
> 2. what is the minimum power line voltage necessary to induce any "usable"
> amount of power?
> 3. Are we talking dangerous if, say an old electric fence wire now
> disconnected but still mounted and not grounded?  Could it do more than
get
> one's attention?
>
> tnx es 73, de Jim KG0KP
>