RE: Poor Performance Question

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

Original poster: "Tom Luttrell PWRCOM" <tom-at-pwrcom-dot-com.au> 

Racing sparks are usually due to over-coupling.
You may need to raise the secondary above the plane of the primary.

 > Original poster: "EMMETT SECREST" <secrest2032-at-msn-dot-com>
 >
 > Over the weekend I took my spark gap TC outside for the first
 > time. I was
 > disappointed in the performance and am hoping someone on the
 > list could
 > offer some suggestions as to the cause of the less than
 > previous output of
 > my coil. Always before it produced multiple three to four
 > foot streamers
 > but when I set it up outside it produce 12 to 18" streamers
 > and would have
 > racing sparks down the secondary. I tried playing with the
 > tuning but it
 > did not help. I am of the opinion that the poor output and
 > racing was due
 > to a poor ground and windy conditions. I had driven a .5"
 > galvanized pipe
 > into the ground about a foot deep and connected to it via a set of
 > automotive jumper cables.  All previous runs of the coil have
 > been inside
 > and connected to a copper ground rod six feet into the earth
 > and connected
 > with six feet of no. 4 copper. Any theories, suggestions,
 > etc. are appreciated.
 >
 > Emmett
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >