Your tin can will work much better if you add a piece of tissue a coil
of wire and a magnet. I don't know why no one ever mentions that when
talking about the finer points of tin can technology.

Well I guess a passive repeater was exactly what I was thinking of and
it sounds like it works about as well as one would expect. Is there
such a thing as an active repeater? Is there some way that I can
amplify all of those signals. Can I broadcast all frequencies all the
time?

Also, I'm still interested in grounding. I've been noticing the
effects of grounding more and more lately. I just realized that my
house isn't really grounded (as far as I can tell anyway). I've got
PVC plumbing and the electric box is just wired neutral to common.
Ever since I put a ball on my truck and wired up the trailer light
connecter I've gone from great reception on the radio to average or
poor. I think the trailer ground wire is acting like a maverick
antenna. We got a new forklift that has a fiber strap that drags
along the floor. I think the wheels are polyethelene or polypropoline
or something and without the strap the forklift can generate enough
static electricity to knock you on your ass. I lived in Okinawa when
I was a kid and a lot of the cars there had a rubber strap with a
little reflector that drug along the ground. The explanation at the
time was that the Japanese liked lights. I never did understand but
could it be to ground the vehicle and get better radio reception?
Should I drag a chain behind my truck for better reception? Also, the
radio at work; how should I set the antenna up. It's just two pieces
of wire tucked up into the ceiling tile. There is a copper compressed
air line running nearby that is not grounded directly (It is hung from
the structual steel but there is no direct copper to ground). I've
noticed that sometimes reception is a lot better if one or both ends
of the wire are touching this copper line. Is the antenna being
grounded or is it acquiring capacitance? WHat is the proper way to
ground it. Do you ever ground an antenna or do you just ground the
receiver?

Well that's probably too many questions already. I'm posting via
google so i have to wait 3 to 6 hours to see it.

Thanks,
El Malo

and not that anyone is going to tell me but what is 73?

El Malo,
The 'static' strap draggin on the ground is a terrible
idea. In most cases, it generates more static than it will
ever 'cure'. It's also dangerous, just like the fork lift.
The DOT prohibits static straps on commercial vehicles that
carry flamable/explosive materials (fuel trucks) because they
act as part of a "VanDegraff"(sp) generator. I'm sure a nice
fat spark is exactly what you want to see when connecting a
fuel line to a tank. (Also why fuel hoses at gas pumps are
grounded through the nozzle. And why fuel trucks at an air-
port always connect a ground line to the plane before fueling.)
'Doc

El Malo,
The 'static' strap draggin on the ground is a terrible
idea. In most cases, it generates more static than it will
ever 'cure'. It's also dangerous, just like the fork lift.
The DOT prohibits static straps on commercial vehicles that
carry flamable/explosive materials (fuel trucks) because they
act as part of a "VanDegraff"(sp) generator. I'm sure a nice
fat spark is exactly what you want to see when connecting a
fuel line to a tank. (Also why fuel hoses at gas pumps are
grounded through the nozzle. And why fuel trucks at an air-
port always connect a ground line to the plane before fueling.)
'Doc