Re: Newbie with questions...

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br> 

Tesla list wrote:
 >
 > Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com>
 >
 > Thats normal.  When you remove the topload, you just changed the
 > resonant frequency for the secondary circuit.
 > Both a straight wire and a helical wire placed above the secondary coil
 > acts like a topload itself.  You can get
 > up to about 5pF of capacitance with a 20" piece of wire.

I use a telescopic antenna in the top load of my coils to adjust their
capacitance. In this way I can use fixed primary coils. A ball covering
the tip of the antenna (I actually use a half-ball) allows the
generation
of good streamers.
http://www.coe.ufrj.br/~acmq/tesla/tefp.html

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz