Terry your reference is misapplied to radioactive lightning rods. There are apparently more than one technology to protest against lightning. I am sure your reference describes a superior technology compared to alpha emissions through radium. The purpose of this alpha emission rod is to "capture" the lightning stroke by generating a lightning streamer.
See http://www.lightningconductor-ese.com/faq.htm On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 6:01 PM, Terry Blanton <hohlr...@gmail.com> wrote: > Sorry, Axil. The purpose of lightning rods are not to attract > lightning. To the contrary, they are for dissipating the charge > buildup in the surrounding earth and thus create a lightning shield. > One company has made quite a business of building dissipation arrays. > > http://www.lightningprotection.com/ > > On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 1:48 PM, Axil Axil <janap...@gmail.com> wrote: > > The phenomena you describe is what Jo Papp used in his engine to activate > > his electrodes, that is, to make them more reactive. Interestingly, > > lightning rods in the 1930s contained alpha emitters to better attract > the > > lightning. I believe that this common practice back in the 30s is where > Papp > > got his ideas for his electrodes. > > > > > > On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 7:07 AM, Nigel Dyer <l...@thedyers.org.uk> > wrote: > >> > >> > >> I have built myself a marx generator which produces an output voltage of > >> the order of 20kV and which can produce a very nice fat spark if the > output > >> electrodes are close enough. I have a conventional geiger counter and > I > >> find it beeps if it is within 5cm of the high voltage output. The > distance > >> suggests alpha particles, but a peice of card makes no difference so I > >> assume that this is an artefact picked up by the large and abrupt > change in > >> the voltage gradient. Oddly I could not find any reference to this > artefact > >> on the internet. Is this just something that everyone knows but no-one > >> writes down? > >> > >> Nigel > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > >
