RE: Poor Performance Question

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

Original poster: "rb" <randyaz-at-cableone-dot-net> 

I am not very knowledgable, but through staying up with this forum I have
read that arcing in the secondary points to coupleing.  Try raising/lowering
your secondary height in relation to the primary.

-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 5:52 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Poor Performance Question


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