[TowerTalk] snow static, Quad v. Yagi

[Tom Rauch]

> Tom, if they cannot discharge to air, what exactly is
corona?

I never said they couldn't discharge to air. I specifically
said they COULD when the clouds and earth had a large
potential difference.

I simply said the dust can't charge them to a potential that
discharges back into the dusty air. Since the dust (or cats,
dogs, BPL advocates, whatever) is suspended in air, it is
pretty unreasonable to think the antenna could accumulate
enough charge to leak back into what is charging it. It
lacks the necessary charge pump, since once the antenna
reaches the potential of the dust charge transfer would
stop.

What the breeze and the dust (or whatever) is doing is
causing the wire to overcome leakage or drain to earth.
Eventually it flashes across a capacitor or some other
insulation to earth.

Touch my high dipole feedline while it is hanging in air on
a day with a breeze, and you will get knocked on your can.
Bring the end of the cable near earth and it will sizzle and
arc. It never will charge enough to sizzle right back into
the very thing supplying charges to it.

73 Tom