"chuck" wrote in message
...
Cecil Moore wrote:
chuck wrote:
... understanding of the possibility of
non-coronal precipitation static remains elusive.

Please note that human understanding is not
necessary for something to exist and denying
its existence because of a lack of understanding
doesn't make it go away. It is what it is.

Nicely said, Cecil.

Hope you didn't get the impression I was denying the existence of
non-coronal p-static, or attempting to make it go away. But I hope you'll
agree that to be detected in a receiver, the static has to have a certain
amplitude. We know what that amplitude is and we know the kinds of charges
scientists have measured on precipitation as well as typical current
densities. What is elusive is how the charges get changed into a
detectable signal. Hardly metaphysics, and no more intended to attain
Human Understanding than the application of Ohm's law! ;-)

Actually, I was trying to provide a basis or framework within which
non-coronal static could be analyzed. Except for the unfortunate paragraph
with hypothetical numbers (the sad result of an embarrassing senior
moment) the rest seems a reasonable start.

Will you tell me again how we know that non-coronal p-static exists?
Without that information we need to say "It is what it is iff it exists",
no? ;-)

i have a feeling that what you will find is that the individual charges on
drops, flakes, and dust is too small to be detected by a normal amateur
receiver. However, the electric field that must accompany them is what
generates the corona effects that can be heard. Just think about it, how do
small particles get charged without also generating a larger bulk field?
The effect that charges the particles, be it dry friction from wind on dust,
or freezing and convection in clouds (any cloud, not just those with enough
charge to generate lightning) is not an individual particle effect, it
happens to many, many particles at once which cumulatively create a much
larger electric field than any one of them alone could create. And while
the charge transfer of small drops striking a conductor may not be enough to
stimulate a receiver the corona caused by the accumulated field over the
whole height of the structure can be significant.