[TowerTalk] Ham Radio Tower & Lightening

[kd4e]

> I'm sure sailboat masts do take lots of strikes, but I question the
> reason you give. Here's why:
> 
> The earth itself is the source of the static charge, right? If you had
> two sailboat masts side by side, one grounded and one not, which one
> would build up the greatest static charge? The grounded one,
> obviously.
> 
> Lightning, like all electricity, always takes the path of least
> resistance.
> 
> Bill, W6WRT

How does the path-of-preferred discharge vary with the
same mast and grounding parameters from salt to fresh
water?

How about from clear water to murky water?

Although someone chastised me in a private E-mail
for stating the well-known principle that pure
water is a poor conductor and "impure" water a
better conductor do we have some good rules-of-thumb
as to the quantification of the differences in real
world applications?

-- 

Thanks! & 73, doc kd4e
http://bibleseven.com