Deni F5VJC wrote:
So, I guess my verical wire is
quite well insulated and certainly not in contact with charged rain.
We've had particularly heavy rainstorms lately in France and this is
definitely rain or rain induced static., starting and stopping in
sympathy with the rain storms very easy to identify.

Is anything about your antenna in contact with charged
rain? Your noise problem might have the same cause
as lightning, i.e. the global atmospheric electrical
circuit. You might be experiencing simple corona
discharge.
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73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com