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Re: 1000 foot sparks?
Tesla List wrote:
>
> >> Subject: 1000 foot sparks?
> >Subject: Re: 1000 foot sparks?
> >> Subject: 1000 foot sparks?
>
> >From rwstephens-at-ptbo.igs-dot-netMon Jun 3 22:25:45 1996
> Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 19:10:38 -0500
> From: "Robert W. Stephens" <rwstephens-at-ptbo.igs-dot-net>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: 1000 foot sparks?
>
> >> Subject: 1000 foot sparks?
> >
> >>From hullr-at-whitlock-dot-comFri May 31 21:35:28 1996
> >Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 10:23:56 -0700
> >From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
> >To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> >Subject: Re: 1000 foot sparks?
> >
> >Tesla List wrote:
> >>
> >> >From rwstephens-at-ptbo.igs-dot-netWed May 29 06:32:12 1996
> >> Date: Tue, 28 May 1996 11:00:08 -0500
> >> From: "Robert W. Stephens" <rwstephens-at-ptbo.igs-dot-net>
> >> To: Tesla List <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> >> Subject: 1000 foot sparks?
> >>
> >
> >Robert,
> >
> >If you hear anything on the ITS radio program take it with a whole salt
> >cellar of salt!! They are prone to hype (probably the grossest
> >understatement of my life)! I would think that any guy who really makes
> >a claim the likes of what you have stated (I did not listen to the
> >program) might be considered "crazier than a s--- house rat!" I am
> >postive beyond all doubt that the closest you will ever come to seeing
> >the realiztion of the program's statement would be in a drug induced
> >dream! This is the most constructive I can be on this one!
> >
> >Richard Hull, TCBOR
>
> Richard and others,
>
> The President of the Int'l Tesla Society was at the Rochester, N.Y.
> Hamfest and gave two talks there last Saturday. I met him in person
> for the first time and spent a bit of time with him wandering about the
> fleamarket and chatting with him between his scheduled talks. Naturally I
> probed him for the name of the 'mystery researcher' mentioned but not named on
> the radio program. J.W. McGinnis gave me the name of the guy. This past
> Sunday's Tesla radio show featured our mystery researcher as guest!
> Now that it is in public domain I see no problem in revealing it here for those of
> you out there who probably missed it. The fellow is Mr.Jerry LaBine, and he
> hails from Indio, California, USA. Mr. Labine is scheduled to appear at
> the annual Tesla Society's symposium this year in Colorado Springs
> and will apparently talk about his plans to make long sparks some
> 1300 feet long. He did discuss these plans and some detail of them on the show
> which I taped. If anyone is interested in receiving a copy of this cassette
> audio tape please e-mail me privately.
>
> Happy Coiling!, rwstephens
Robert, All
Well, here we go again! As we used to say in the military; "The wind
blew and the s--- flew"! Man, I just wish one of these folks who claim
long sparks would build something! Has anyone ever heard the name Labine
in the Tesla "coil" literature? .. Tesla Lore? .. Tesla coil community?!
This fellow is a regular at the ITS. If I ever see 100' sparks I will
throw my coils in the waste basket. No human being has ever achieved
free air sparks over 30-40 feet. There are many claims by a number of
parties who shall remain nameless. What all of them lack is proof! The
real proof is not in a written account, or even in an eye witness
account, but photographic evidence! Only a few dare to do this (the
truthful and genuine expermenters). A still photo is the lowest form of
acceptable proof for spark length. Through interpolation and a bit of
math, claims can be at least checked for gross errors. The ultimate
proof is video tape, where the straight line hit distance is measured
with a tape measure immediately following a coil firing. I am aware of
only a few people who have ever done this and therefore I can rely on
their claims. First, we have done it on many of our tapes, I have seen
Richard Quick do it on a number of occasions, Robert Stephans also does
this as well as Ed Wingate, John Freau, Bob Svangren, Jeff Mullins, Greg
Leyh and a few others. These are solid experimenters with nothing to
hide and they realize the critical need for good documentation of claims
and results.
Some of the most prominent coil "guru's" never measure point ot point
arcs. I have caught a few of them in "fib mode". A still photo and the
knowledge of their exact system dimensions have yielded as much as a 50%
reduction in their stated spark length. Lately, I have found that still
photos are hard to come by from these folks. The few video or still
shots which are available, when analyized, show gross discrepencies in
the claims.
It is crucial, when examining a photo, to take into consideration the
angle of the camera, the type of lens which might have been used, etc.
Using this method on several occasions, I have verified Tesla's claims in
Colorado and determined that he never produced a point ot point discharge
longer than 30-35 feet. Most of the CSL photos in the CS Notes actually
show sparks under 20 feet long. (the longest photographic evidence is 24
feet!) This 1899 work has been surpassed now by Robert Golka, Greg Leyh,
and perhaps Bill Wysock, but only barely and all but Greg Leyh used
vastly more power than Tesla did. (It is assumed Tesla used ~50KW) Greg
Leyh used about the same power, but Golka used up to 250 KVA and Wysock
over 120KVA. Tobby Grotz has published the data on Golka's coil. Jeff
Mullins has supplied information and video footage of the Leyh coil. and
I have seen and photographed the Wysock magnifier and also have a very
recent video of it running with power data available to me.
This has been a long and tedious return. I just wish we could document
better. If you wish to be believed, first, build something. Second,
disclose the exact dimensions and coil system's data. Third, take at
least 10 stills with the camera square on to the system and try showing a
tape measure of the spark length. All of this is best captured on video
where still frames can be secured over the entire running session (30
photos per second). It is best to have a grounded "strike post" or
object for reference. Give its dimensions, too.
I doubt I will ever exceed 17' of spark, but the efficiency will be
pretty good. Those producing long sparks, realize that efficiency falls
of virtually as the cubed dimension of the radius of half sphere of air
to be ionized. (not a law or even a rule of thumb, just a crude guess).
This is especially true beyond 20' of arc.
Let us step back and see Mr. Labine perform! Let us not hold our breath,
however, as we would all perish, I am sure. I predict this will all be
more wind across the podium at yet another ITS gathering.
Richard Hull, TCBOR