Phone line as SW antenna [12-Jul-06]
 

Billy Burpelson wrote:

mc wrote:

Either way I'd use a 600-volt (not 250-volt) capacitor in order to have a
lot more "headroom" in case of lightning, etc.

If you are going to couple to your radio directly versus using an
insulated wire wrapped around your whip antenna ['gimmick' capacitor],
then a 600 volt capacitor is a good idea. The -nominal- firing voltage
of the telco protector on the side of your house or in your basement is
around 600 volts -- which is to say, it passes along everything below
600 volts. Which is to say if you had a 250 volt capacitor, possibly
bye-bye radio front end.


If you are worried about the voltage rating of a series capacitor and how it
protects your radio from transients, you may want to consider what kind of
protection, if any, it actually gives.