[TowerTalk] Static Drain Resistor in Arrestor

[Wes Stewart]

 Jack is correct.
My first experience with this was as a young Novice licensee.  I had a BC453 receiver connected to some type of wire antenna and had the bottom cover removed.  There was a dry desert breeze blowing outside.  The BC453 had an NE2 neon bulb across the antenna input and it was blinking about once per second.
Today I put 10k wirewound 10W resistors across my antenna feedpoints unless they are naturally DC shorts.
Wes  N7WS
    On Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 10:43:52 AM MST, Jack Brindle via TowerTalk <towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:  
 
 Here in Louisiana we get a lot of rain and thunderstorms. Operating during rain used to be a huge issue caused by rain static. As the rain drops fall, they pick up a static charge. When the hit the antenna that is transferred to the antenna, and is heard on the receiver as an increasing buzz. Eventually the charge builds up to the point where it exceeds the level where the receiver protection kicks in, we get a quick “bzzzzt” then the noise is gone until it builds up again. This is the static that Wes correctly refers to. I first experienced this in the Clearwater, FL area many years ago, and before the arrestors I experienced it here regularly.