Yes... Once I was out operating portable and a summer storm was
brewing up out in central Nebraska...I am in western Ia, a distance of
perhaps 150-200 miles. My K2 LCD started to display random numbers and
acted like it had gone crazy... I quickly realized what must be going
on and disconnected the antenna, a 50 ft high 300 ft long dipole made of
bare aluminum fence wire. The ends of the twinlead feedline, when
dropped to the ground, had a light-blue halo of tiny sparks glowing from
along the entire length of the bare wire-ends...Saint Elmo's Fire? I
didn't get shocked, but then, I made sure not to touch the bare wire.
The K2 suffered no apparent damage...that was probably very lucky...
I've also seen the same thing on mobile antennas when a storm was
approaching...the ball on the end of the whip would glow blue and
discharge...making a noise like snapping a small stretched rubber band
against something...the crackle of high voltage... I guess you could
say that Mother Nature is not always benign...even if she appears so at
the moment...
Fitz N0MF
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