Re: [IRCA] antenna performance and snow

["Craig Healy" <bubba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Does anyone have any thoughts, or data on how having a layer
>of snow, say 10 inches deep, on the ground around a vertical
>antenna, will change the performance.

Ny experience with transmitting antennas is that snow cover has very little effect compared to ground wet from rain.  Judging by base current measurements and VSWR changes, rain soaked ground has a bit more effect than snow.

My guess is that translating that to a receive antenna would be comparable.  Snow vs. ground wet from rain probably leans a bit more toward rain and muddy ground having a more noticeable effect.  This would be most measureable by a change in the resistive and reactive values of the antenna.  I doubt the change would be radical enough to require a different matching transformer.

Fresh water is a pretty fair insulator, and ice/snow is the same.  One thing I always wanted to try is to run a thousand feet of insulated wire out along the bottom of a pond.  It'd be interesting to see just what the characteristics of that antenna would be compared to the same length of wire and azimuth on dry ground.

Salt water probably would kill reception due to the much greater conductivity.

Every installation is different, so YMMV. My guess is that the difference compared to ground wet from rain would be barely noticeable.

Thinking about making a snow gun to cover the antenna location in hopes of DX heaven?  (grin)

Craig Healy
Providence, RI




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