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From: bwhite@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Bill White)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: precipitation static
Summary: How to call forth lightning.
Message-ID: <1687@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU>
Date: 11 Aug 90 02:49:32 GMT
References: <52707@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Organization: Ohio U, home of the mighty Hocking River!
Lines: 27

In article <52707@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> commgrp@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (BACS Data Communications Group) writes:
>
>I once flew a kite on steel wire-recorder wire (very strong and light; 
>NOT recommended near power lines!)  The sky was cloudless, but I got 
>strong shocks from the wire spool.  I presume that charge was building 
>until there was sufficient voltage to discharge through my rubber shoe 
>soles.
>

	Where did you get the steel wire-recorder wire?  I've been
looking for such a beast.  This isn't advisable practice, but if you
have a very powerful model rocket (I designed one special for the
purpose, with three D engines), you can take a lot of very light wire,
coil it in a very loose spiral around the rocket, mount it to the fins,
and launch the thing in the middle of a thunderstorm.  Incidentally, if
you choose to do this (on your _own_ property), make sure you don't
launch with a cable (I used a radio remote), and that it's at least 2
miles from anything or anyone.  Also, you need a good ground on the
other end of the wire to make it work, and the fin size must be great
enough to keep the rocket stable.
	Don't expect to salvage the rocket afterwards!


-- 
|   Bill White			Internet: bwhite@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu	|
|	MURPHY'S FIRST COROLLARY:					|
|		Nothing is as easy as it looks.				|