On Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:19:09 -0500, Cecil Moore wrote:

Jim Lux wrote:
But the important thing is that there's an equal number of positive and
negative charges floating around there, so there's zero net charge. An
possible radiated field from a negatively charged electron will be
exactly matched by the opposite field from a positively charged
something else.

Does that mean a column of salt water could not be used as an antenna?

It just means that moving the water back and forth won't cause
radiation. Waves on the surface of the ocean don't make radio signals.
(C'mon, Cecil. You knew the answer to your question, didn't you? ;-) )

The column of water will conduct a current, which will radiate, but I
think I'd rather use copper or aluminum :-)

--
Rich

Rich Griffiths wrote:
(C'mon, Cecil. You knew the answer to your question, didn't you? ;-) )

Actually, I had never thought about it. I assumed that any
conductor would radiate.

I've been working on a particle beam that ionizes 33 feet
of air for use as an efficient mobile antenna on 40m. Have
I been wasting my time?
--
73, Cecil, IEEE, OOTC, http://www.w5dxp.com

"Cecil Moore" wrote

I've been working on a particle beam that ionizes 33 feet
of air for use as an efficient mobile antenna on 40m. Have
I been wasting my time?

Unless you can stuff that antenna into a container the size
of two shoe-boxes, and achieve a 9 point something dBi
gain on 160M at the same time, yeah, you're wasting time.
Art's already beat you to it. And Art's antenna doesn't
care one never-mind about the phase information in the
standing wave current ;) good luck in the contest.

Mike W5CHR
Memphis

On Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:39:34 -0500, Cecil Moore wrote:

snip

I've been working on a particle beam that ionizes 33 feet of air for use
as an efficient mobile antenna on 40m. Have I been wasting my time?

Wasting your time? Heavens no! That would be WAY cool!

Even if it didn't work as an antenna, think how exciting it would be for
birds, people watching the highway from overpasses, ....

--
Rich