Jim Kelley wrote:
Your radio doesn't actually hear clear down to DC, does it? :-)

Doesn't matter since I can't hear DC anyway. If the
charge striking the antenna is a DC pulse, part of
the released energy extends into the RF region whether
the event is linear or not.

The effect is heard as a result of the charge striking the antenna, thus
changing the charge on the antenna. As you know, for a given
capacitance, a 600 volt dielectric couples charge just as well as a 1000
volt dielectric. In such a case the 'pop' is capacitively coupled
broadband noise. But whether the antenna is insulated or not, looped or
not, the static noise is due to a rapid (albeit small) change in charge
on the antenna being coupled by some means into the receiver.

Your idea assumes linear displacement current, i.e.
charge transfer around the dielectric. My idea assumes
charge transfer through the dielectric, i.e. a tiny
nonlinear breakdown of the dielectric. We can haggle
over the exact physical mechanism but the result is
probably the same in either case and maybe a combination
of the two. The thicker the dielectric coating on the
antenna wire, the lower the precipitation noise from the
antenna. That has been proved to be true for airplane
antennas moving through air. Seems relativity would hold
true for air moving past antennas.

It would make sense that the amount of static noise coupled from
the environment would be proportional to the coupling capacitance.
Knowing that charge tends to gather on a surface, the thicker the
'dielectric', the lower the capacitance.

It would also make sense to say the thicker the dielectric,
the smaller is the chance of a nonlinear event. I sure wish
I had not kissed my girlfriend on her ear ring 50 years ago
after sliding across plastic seatcovers wearing wool pants.

So is precipitation static a linear or nonlinear event? Or
a combination of the two? Does it matter?
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com