[TowerTalk] Rain static

[Jim Lux]

At 07:13 AM 9/1/2005, Keith Dutson wrote:
>Jim wrote:
> >The other aspect is that it might not be the antenna that's doing the
>discharging, but the tower next to the antenna, and the antenna is just
>picking up the noise.
>
>Jim, have you ever observed precip static on an antenna supported by a
>balloon?

No, but I have observed fairly noticeable charging on a wire on a kite.

And, also on a guy wire (that happened to be insulated at both ends) 
traversing middle of an artificial dust devil some 50 ft tall.

Both cases were dust, not rain, but the mechanisms should be similar, and 
in both cases, it was a clear air (as in no clouds visible) phenomenon.


>73, Keith NM5G