/it appears the higher rate resulted in few ground level/strike rail
strikes, and more consistent horizontal strikes as well."/
I tend to find that 200 gives less ground strikes with the streamers
tending to come from the top of the toroid or else the sides. If you
deliberately set the phase wrong with 200bps you can then induce more
ground strikes. Over do it though, as I recently did on my own coil, and
it ends in tears - I know.