Hi, Everybody,

I have read many times here about how noise is generated when wind strikes
an antenna made of bare conductors.

Does the same effect occur on a mobile antenna? At highway speeds, that
would be the equivalent of very high wind speed. But I have never heard
anyone talking about this.

Regards,

Al W6LX

On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:01:39 GMT, "Al Lorona"
wrote:

Hi, Everybody,

I have read many times here about how noise is generated when wind strikes
an antenna made of bare conductors.

Does the same effect occur on a mobile antenna? At highway speeds, that
would be the equivalent of very high wind speed. But I have never heard
anyone talking about this.

Hi Al,

That's why older external car antennas had small caps, or balls, at
the end - to reduce static discharge.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Al Lorona wrote:
I have read many times here about how noise is generated when wind strikes
an antenna made of bare conductors.

Does the same effect occur on a mobile antenna?

If you are talking about precipitation static,
defined at:

http://www.atis.org/tg2k/_precipitation_static.html

the problem is severe and well-documented for airplane
antennas and therefore would exist for mobile antennas.
But air alone passing over an antenna is not sufficient
to produce the effect. For precipitation static to occur,
the air must contain precipitation in the form of
charged particles of dust, snow, rain, etc.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
. net...
Al Lorona wrote:
I have read many times here about how noise is generated when wind
strikes
an antenna made of bare conductors.

Does the same effect occur on a mobile antenna?

If you are talking about precipitation static,
defined at:

http://www.atis.org/tg2k/_precipitation_static.html

the problem is severe and well-documented for airplane
antennas and therefore would exist for mobile antennas.
But air alone passing over an antenna is not sufficient
to produce the effect. For precipitation static to occur,
the air must contain precipitation in the form of
charged particles of dust, snow, rain, etc.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com

Navy receive whip antennas are all fitted with a "static drain resistor" (50
k-ohm, I think) in a connection box at the base. We had to disconnect the
resistor to megger the element during inspections. Evidently, precipitation
static could and would build up to a hazardous DC potential.