Getting zapped by my unpowered Secondary

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Original poster: "Ray Robidoux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <robidoux-at-basystems-dot-com>

Hi All,

I have just completed the build of a 2.5" coil, and have
experienced a strange problem. When I grab hold of the
secondary to adjust the height for coupling purposes I
get a fairly painful zap. I am wondering if anybody else
has seen this and what the cause may be. I assume it must
be some sort of parasitic capacitance formed by the wire
in the coil and one of the dielectrics involved in the
construction, with the ambient air-to-ground forming the
other plate. If so which dielectric is involved (coil
form, wire insulation, sprayed polyethylene)? And why
haven't I heard of this before from some other coilers?
I have solved the problem for now by wrapping my entire
secondary in Saran Wrap. This was a good solution and it
is working well now but I would still like to know what
is happening.

Ray