Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

[TowerTalk] Rain Static - Anything to Do?

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Rain Static - Anything to Do?
From: RWeissman@cognizantcorp.com (Weissman, Robert E. (Westport))
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 1997 16:56:59 -0500
Several years ago, there was an article in one of the ham magazines that
described the use of static wick dischargers to reduce p-static noise.
These wicks were, as I recall, about 6" long and were mounted either on
the ends of the boom or near the ends of the elements. I don't remember
what the material was, but it wasn't metal and was a high resistance
conductor.  Noise reduction in the 20-30 dB range was claimed.  Has
anyone had experience with these devices.  And, if they work, does
anyone know where they can be found?


>----------
>From:  Pete Smith[SMTP:n4zr@dayton.akorn.net]
>Sent:  Saturday, March 01, 1997 3:47 PM
>To:    towertalk@contesting.com
>Subject:       [TowerTalk] Rain Static - Anything to Do?
>
>This morning, there was a steady spring rain outside when I turned on the
>radio, and as a result I had rain static -- it sounded like one "sput" per
>drop hitting my antennas -- that added up to an S9 +10 noise level in SSB
>bandwidth.  Pretty tough.
>
>Is there fundamentally nothing to be done about this?  Did W3LPL and others
>have to deal with the same problem today? Or if there is, what are the
>remedies?
>
>BTW, the antennas in question are a Force 12 C-4 and a lazy-vee array on
>80.  While the antenna elements are mechanically insulated from ground,
>each antenna lead has a 1.5 meg resistor from the center connector to
>ground (in my antenna switch) to drain residual static.  This seems ro be
>impulse noise directly related to the drops hitting the antennas.
>
>
>
>73, Pete Smith N4ZR
>n4zr@contesting.com 
>West (bigawd) Virginia
>
>--
>FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
>Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
>Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
>Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com
>Sponsored by:             Akorn Access, Inc. & N4VJ / K4AAA
>

--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Sponsored by:             Akorn Access, Inc. & N4VJ / K4AAA

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>