I have head that various types of precipitation can cause static and
have seen it to some extent but last night I think I witnessed it
nearly wiped out air ground communications at a major airport when a
snow storm passed through the area. The static could be heard on over
50 receivers most of which had their own antenna. Is this possible.

Jimmie

JIMMIE wrote:
I have head that various types of precipitation can cause static and
have seen it to some extent but last night I think I witnessed it
nearly wiped out air ground communications at a major airport when a
snow storm passed through the area. The static could be heard on over
50 receivers most of which had their own antenna. Is this possible.

Jimmie

Yes.

Aviation uses AM, so yes you can hear percipitation static and lightning
noise and when airborne you can hear it from a long way away.

Though generally if the static is really bad you have bigger issues
to be concerned about than radio noise.


--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

On Mar 2, 2:45*pm, wrote:
JIMMIE wrote:
I have head that various types of precipitation can cause static and
have seen it to some extent but last night I think I witnessed it
nearly wiped out air ground communications at a major airport when a
snow storm passed through the area. The static could be heard on over
50 receivers most of which had their own antenna. Is this possible.

Jimmie

Yes.

Aviation uses AM, so yes you can hear percipitation static and lightning
noise and when airborne you can hear it from a long way away.

Though generally if the static is really bad you have bigger issues
to be concerned about than radio noise.

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

We dont generallty have a problem with P static during rain but the
snow, if that wwas the cause was, breaking the squelch on the
receivers. Normally the squelch is set to break at 2uVs. I adjusted
the squelch on a rx until it just blanked while listening to the noise
then measured the amount of signal from a generator that it would take
to breal squelch. The level was about 40uV and the level was
continuous for the duration of the storm. Does snow normallly cause
more of a static problem than rain? Living in the SOuth snow isnot
something I have a lot of experience with.


Jimmie

JIMMIE wrote:
Is this possible.

I've personally experienced P-static during dust
storms and rain storms. Someone reported that he
could count the largest snowflakes hitting his
antenna just by listening to the radio.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com
"Government 'help' to business is just as disastrous as
government persecution..." Ayn Rand

The level was about 40uV and the level was
continuous for the duration of the storm. Does snow normallly cause
more of a static problem than rain? Living in the SOuth snow isnot
something I have a lot of experience with.

Jimmie

It is usually very dry when it snows but it can do that with rain too. The
charge builds up as it falls and snaps when striking the antenna elements.
Smog and dust can do the same thing and we hear that when it is very dry and
the wind blows even on weak and long path FM signals.

JB wrote:
It is usually very dry when it snows but it can do that with rain too. The
charge builds up as it falls and snaps when striking the antenna elements.
Smog and dust can do the same thing and we hear that when it is very dry and
the wind blows even on weak and long path FM signals.

During an Arizona dust storm, the charged-dust-particles
transferred their charges to my G5RV and the disconnected
coax connector laying on the floor arced with such intensity
that it caused my shag rug to smoke. :-( It was previously
arcing across the coax terminal on my IC-745 but apparently
didn't cause any damage with the power off. I can imagine
what it would have sounded like if I had turned on the power.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com
"Government 'help' to business is just as disastrous as
government persecution..." Ayn Rand

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
JB wrote:
It is usually very dry when it snows but it can do that with rain too.
The
charge builds up as it falls and snaps when striking the antenna
elements.
Smog and dust can do the same thing and we hear that when it is very dry
and
the wind blows even on weak and long path FM signals.

During an Arizona dust storm, the charged-dust-particles
transferred their charges to my G5RV and the disconnected
coax connector laying on the floor arced with such intensity
that it caused my shag rug to smoke. :-( It was previously
arcing across the coax terminal on my IC-745 but apparently
didn't cause any damage with the power off. I can imagine
what it would have sounded like if I had turned on the power.

Navy ships use whip antennas for HF receive and these are prone to build up
static charges unless something is done. The usual solution is a 50K-ohm
resistor to ground near the base of the whip, enclosed in what's called a
termination box, where coaxial cable is interfaced to the whip. The
resistor is usually termed electrostatic discharge protection, or simply the
"static drain resistor."

On Mar 3, 11:23*am, Cecil Moore wrote:
JB wrote:
It is usually very dry when it snows but it can do that with rain too. *The
charge builds up as it falls and snaps when striking the antenna elements.
Smog and dust can do the same thing and we hear that when it is very dry and
the wind blows even on weak and long path FM signals.

During an Arizona dust storm, the charged-dust-particles
transferred their charges to my G5RV and the disconnected
coax connector laying on the floor arced with such intensity
that it caused my shag rug to smoke. :-( It was previously
arcing across the coax terminal on my IC-745 but apparently
didn't cause any damage with the power off. I can imagine
what it would have sounded like if I had turned on the power.
--
73, Cecil *http://www.w5dxp.com
"Government 'help' to business is just as disastrous as
government persecution..." Ayn Rand

Cecil
One more time.
Unbound static particles rest on diamagnetic materials of which water
is one
Updraft in a storm collects not only water but also the static
particles at rest.
When the moisture changes physically( ice , snow etc) and the
particles have no room
to stand where during to its travels it has gained charge. This
conglomeration of charge can transfer to another cloud that is still
in the moisture status or down to earth ( diamagnetic material also
such as aluminum) when reaching the ground or moisture clouds, It
reverts to its static particle status where the charge is then
released upwardsto the clouds.
The original charge came from the movement of clouds relative to earth
and if one consideres the application of G.U.T. ( Grand universal
theorem per Einstein and Newton) one can see this as part of applied
current which also must include a rotataional force as per
displacement current. Review of weather patterns on the TV clearly
shows the rotational aspect when weather changes are prevalent.
Thus the noise heard on the radio is the dissipation of energy from
the charged particle as it reverts to its original static particle
orientation when it settles on one antenna.
Nuff said

I don't know how much more of these my Kill file can handle but
here goes "PLONK"!!