kd5sak wrote:

Long years ago, 50 yearsor so before I reached Ham status, a thunderstorm
awakened me in the wee hours and proceeded to dance around in the shallow
hill pasture near the house. Stroke after stroke occurred and all so near I
could hear a loud click as the strike occurred and then the diminishing
rumble. I still haven't figured out the initial click sound, it came from
outside so wasn't a house internal electric phenomenon.

I've read that this click is due to the ear's reaction to the strong
electromagnetic pulse. If that's what you heard, it comes from the ear
itself, not from outside.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message
...
kd5sak wrote:

Long years ago, 50 yearsor so before I reached Ham status, a
thunderstorm
awakened me in the wee hours and proceeded to dance around in the
shallow
hill pasture near the house. Stroke after stroke occurred and all so
near I
could hear a loud click as the strike occurred and then the diminishing
rumble. I still haven't figured out the initial click sound, it came
from
outside so wasn't a house internal electric phenomenon.

I've read that this click is due to the ear's reaction to the strong
electromagnetic pulse. If that's what you heard, it comes from the ear
itself, not from outside.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

This is the first time I have seen it mentioned the ear reacting to the
electromagnetic pulse. Most of the time it is described as the same way
the old WW2 depth charges sounded in the submarines. YOu get the click and
then the boom. I forgot the term used but it is something like an impulse
or pressure shock wave traveling faster than the speed of sound and then the
actual sound wave.

I've read that this click is due to the ear's reaction to the strong
electromagnetic pulse. If that's what you heard, it comes from the ear
itself, not from outside................................

According to old Gary Coffman posts, he says it's picked up by the
auditory nerve. Also, deaf people can hear that click.
I've had two strikes to my mast with me sitting 15 ft away from the
base of the mast. I could hear that click, but I also could hear
the arc sound of the strike going to ground outside. Sounded
like a light bulb being thrown to the ground outside my window.
Not that loud really. I'm fairly convinced the quality of the ground
connection effects the loudness of the strike. The strikes that hit
my well grounded mast are fairly quiet, not counting the overhead
sonic boom. The strikes to the trees in the yard are super loud
in comparison. A loud crack, instead of the quieter arc sound.
MK

But, as a more or less theoretical question, to minimize the
possibility of
lightning hitting the antenna at all, or inducing large voltages in it,
is
it better to just leave the now "floating" antenna alone, or is it
better to
ground one end of it ?

Why ?......................................

I prefer to ground all the feedlines. I have a ground strip outside
my window with a bunch of SO-239's. I just screw em all in when
bad wx is around. I doubt it will make much difference as to the
likelyhood of being struck. Horizontal wire antennas are not struck
that often compared to verticals, trees, etc.
But if it is, I'd prefer it to be grounded to reduce flashing, etc.
My metal mast takes the brunt of the strikes to ground. All
my grounding of the feedline does is take any left over energy
on the coax to ground. Same for induced energy from near
strikes. And it can be a good bit, as I actually can hear my
connectors arc with nearby strikes. Never leave antenna wires,
or feedline ends in the house, or in bottles, etc..You want it
out of the house if it's not protected. Even if using a grounded
switch, etc, I'd prefer not to have it running through the house.
IE: ground wire leading along the wall, etc to the switch to
ground it. Most switches ground the unused connectors, or
have a ground position. I don't like those in the house if the
feed is unprotected by gas tubes, etc...
MK

wrote in message
oups.com...
I've read that this click is due to the ear's reaction to the strong
electromagnetic pulse. If that's what you heard, it comes from the ear
itself, not from outside................................

According to old Gary Coffman posts, he says it's picked up by the
auditory nerve. Also, deaf people can hear that click.


Thanks OM, I've wondered for nearly 50 years what the "click"
mechanism was. I've told the story several times, but never to anyone
I thought it would be useful to ask for an explanation of the "click".

Harold
KD5SAK

wrote:
I've read that this click is due to the ear's reaction to the strong
electromagnetic pulse. If that's what you heard, it comes from the ear
itself, not from outside................................

According to old Gary Coffman posts, he says it's picked up by the
auditory nerve. Also, deaf people can hear that click.
I've had two strikes to my mast with me sitting 15 ft away from the
base of the mast. I could hear that click, but I also could hear
the arc sound of the strike going to ground outside. Sounded
like a light bulb being thrown to the ground outside my window.
Not that loud really. I'm fairly convinced the quality of the ground
connection effects the loudness of the strike. The strikes that hit
my well grounded mast are fairly quiet, not counting the overhead
sonic boom. The strikes to the trees in the yard are super loud
in comparison. A loud crack, instead of the quieter arc sound.
MK

I couldn't remember where I picked it up, but that's probably where.
Thanks. But I wasn't able to find any reference to that phenomenon in a
brief web search, so it might not be true.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Ralph Mowery wrote:

This is the first time I have seen it mentioned the ear reacting to the
electromagnetic pulse. Most of the time it is described as the same way
the old WW2 depth charges sounded in the submarines. YOu get the click and
then the boom. I forgot the term used but it is something like an impulse
or pressure shock wave traveling faster than the speed of sound and then the
actual sound wave.

I do believe that any mechanical wave, such as a pressure or shock wave,
travels at the speed of sound, no more and no less. To travel faster, it
would have to be an electromagnetic wave.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

I do believe that any mechanical wave, such as a pressure or shock
wave,
travels at the speed of sound, no more and no less. To travel faster,
it
would have to be an electromagnetic wave.

Also, the deaf person wouldn't hear the mechanical wave. Well,
unless they had "some" hearing still available. If it was proven that
a totally deaf person could hear it, that would pretty much nail it
down as
electromagnetic. If that came out to be true, then Coffmans theory
about the auditory nerve picking it up would probably be true unless
some other nerve was actually involved.
MK

kd5sak wrote:

"Bill Turner" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:48:24 -0600, " hillbilly3302"
wrote:
This summer my 80 foot tower took a direct hit...

73, Bill W6WRT

Long years ago, 50 yearsor so before I reached Ham status, a thunderstorm
awakened me in the wee hours and proceeded to dance around in the shallow
hill pasture near the house. Stroke after stroke occurred and all so near I
could hear a loud click as the strike occurred and then the diminishing
rumble. I still haven't figured out the initial click sound, it came from
outside so wasn't a house internal electric phenomenon.

Harold
KD5SAK

A few years ago I was out fishing at my favorite pond. It had clouded
over, but had not yet begun to rain. All of a sudden I could feel myself
beginning to tingle, it seems to me it was more in the feet, there was
a sour taste in my mouth, and then all of a sudden a bolt from the blue
hit the pond not far from where I was standing -- scared the living heck
out of me. The buildup of the tingling was a matter of a few seconds,
then the bolt, so I still don't have full recollection of just where the
bolt hit. I jumped back and
landed on my butt, but other than that there was no damage. I quickly
gathered my gear (not trusting the statistic that it wouldn't hit twice
in the same place) and headed for the car. I sat in the car and watched
the pond to see if any fish came to the surface to see what happened but
no such luck! This was in the foothills of the rockies and I got quite a
light show till the storm passed over!

Irv VE6BP (still got a few lives to go!)
--
--------------------------------------
Diagnosed Type II Diabetes March 5 2001
Beating it with diet and exercise!
297/215/210 (to be revised lower)
58"/43"(!)/44" (already lower too!)
--------------------------------------
Visit my HomePage at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv/index.html
Visit my Baby Sofia website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv4/index.htm
Visit my OLDTIMERS website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv5/index.htm
--------------------
Irv Finkleman,
Grampa/Ex-Navy/Old Fart/Ham Radio VE6BP
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

On 18 Dec 2005 08:41:47 -0800, wrote:

I do believe that any mechanical wave, such as a pressure or shock
wave,
travels at the speed of sound, no more and no less. To travel faster,
it
would have to be an electromagnetic wave.

Also, the deaf person wouldn't hear the mechanical wave. Well,
unless they had "some" hearing still available. If it was proven that
a totally deaf person could hear it, that would pretty much nail it
down as
electromagnetic. If that came out to be true, then Coffmans theory
about the auditory nerve picking it up would probably be true unless
some other nerve was actually involved.
MK

Doesn't the delta P of a fuel-air bomb travel at greater than the
speed of sound?

R