Re: TC & Lightning 2

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

Original poster: "Gary Weaver" <gary350-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

I am using what is called a Dead Man Switch.  Its just a normally closed
switch connected in series with a small battery and the electric ignitor.
I use a small stick to hold the switch button down so the switch is open as
long as the button is pushed.  I have a long plastic fishing string
attached to the stick.  When its time to fire the rocket I jerk the string
as hard and fast as I can.  The stick is jerked out and the switch closes
igniting the rocket.  The switch and battery are setting on the ground a
few feet from the rocket and I am a long way off the launch pad holding the
other end of the string.   The stick and string usually land in the yard a
long way from the launch pad and with a little help from the wind it lands
even farther away.   I have a few lightning pictures but not many.
Lightning is very fast and the only way to get a pic is to use a cable
release and hold the shutter open for as long as it take for the lightning
to strike.   I have left the shutter open of as long as 20 minutes in the
dark and got some good pics.  If you leave the shutter open for even 1
minute during daylight it will over expose the film.  No videos.

Gary Weaver
gary350-at-earthlink-dot-net
Why Wait?  Move to EarthLink.


 > [Original Message]
 > From: Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > Date: 7/25/2004 5:34:47 PM
 > Subject: Re: TC & Lightning 2
 >
 > Original poster: "Chris Roberts" <quezacotl_14000000000000-at-yahoo-dot-com>
 >
 > Wow! Please tell me you have gotten some kind of video or pictures of you
 > doing this! If you do, let us know because I am sure all of us want to
see
 > it! What kind of setup do you use for this? I know that when scientists
 > were doing this kind of thing, they used a pneumatic hose to activate the
 > rocket, for fear of the lightning's energy coming back through any wires.
 > Do you do something like this or is it more like fire the rocket and run
 > before it gets too high? =D
 > -Chris
 >
 > Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
 >
 > Original poster: "Gary Weaver"
 >
 > <Snip>
 >
 >
 > I have shot Estes stick rockets in the back yard to attract a lightning
 > strikes. I have noticed each thunder storm has its own personality. Some
 > thunder storms the lightning comes very regular. You can sometimes
 > predict the time between lightning strikes and find that lightning strikes
 > are comming every 20 seconds or maybe every 15 seconds it just depends on
 > the storm. The window of opportunity is very short maybe 3 to 5 mintues.
 > Fire the rocket about 3 seconds before the next predicted lightning
strike.
 > Rocket propellent smoke is full of carbon which is a good conduction for
 > high voltage. I can get a lightning strike to my back yard about 1 out of
 > 3 times in some storms and 1 out of 2 times in other storms. A good
 > lightning bolt sounds like a stick of dynamite, "BOOM." It shakes the
 > house. I learned not to do this very close to the house because high
 > voltage does not always follow the smoke trail all the way to the ground.
 > I had! a lightning strike hit a tree and the amazing thing was the
 > electricity came down the tree, then followed the tree roots in the ground
 > and about 50 large sparks jumped up out of the ground all around the tree.
 > It was probably a 30 ft radius of 3 ft long lightning sparks shooting up
 > out of the ground. It split the 50 ft tall tree down the middle.
 >
 > If I could get the rocket to pull up a wire without breaking it I might be
 > able to get more lightning strikes. I was considering using a fishing
 > real will copper wire but am not willing to melt down a good fishing real
 > for this experement.
 >
 > This time I hope my email spelling checker does not remove the N from
 > lightning. Don't have time to proof read for errors it just got dark here
 > and I am going on a 5 mile bicycle ride.
 >
 > Gary Weaver
 > gary350-at-earthlink-dot-net
 > Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
 >
 >