[TowerTalk] Rain static

[Tom Rauch]

 > I think you will find that precipitation static  is
neither.

To the contary Rodger. I find virtually everyone describes
corna as "precipitation static".

> It's basically the a charge building from many droplets,
or snow flakes
> removing electrons from the ungrounded elements, or wires.
The charge
> builds to the point where it arcs over.

That would be a pop then. It would occur with the flashover.

> I've never had precipitation static from a grounded
antenna.

I don't call that "pop" precipitation static. Like most
people I've talked to, I call that very rapidly pulsing,
musical hissing, or musical whining noise that builds in
level until eventually I hear a "pop" (at the moment of a
lightning flash in the distance) "precipitation static".

It's certainly true than an ungrounded element, especially
if long and high, can charge up to the point where it breaks
down insulation in a capacitor or some other component.
That's often even destructive, since the charged capacitance
of the system can "ping" sensitive components like diodes or
transistors!

I use leak resistors or chokes on antennas that float for
dc. Those leak resistors do nothing for the noises I mostly
hear called (and that I call) "precipitation static".

That "musical" or very rapidly pulsing noise is the noise
I've fought for years, and it occurs on my grounded antennas
just as well as ungrounded antennas. You can actually hear
the same pitch acoustically near the antenna, and see the
streamer off sharp points on dark nights if you are close to
the antenna(s). We watched it on building roof tops.

73 Tom