From: Cougarjack@aol.com
Date: Tue Aug 27 2002 - 00:06:02 PDT
Esteemed listers,
No power company that I am aware of has been able to use the earth itself as a circuit leg, since the earth's resistance is way too high for efficient transmission. The Power guys could not afford the losses that would be involved. The concepts of an earth ground are almost universally misunderstood. I'll try to clarify. There IS a practice, albeit through negligence and lack of maintenance, which seems to cause the described effect. It IS very different however. I'll attempt to explain, only in the interest of showing that any such effects are a different ball game than electric armour on a tank.
Many overland electric lines carry very high voltages, and since they are high above ground where no one can contact them, it is customary to use bare copper or aluminum cables. These are the ones you see hanging from those skeletal towers going through the countryside. There are generally three phases, once cable for each phase. Oversimpified, power flows over one cable, and returns on another. The voltage difference between any two phases gives you the power to do work. No part of this circuit ever returns through the earth. What happens is that a fourth wire, variously known as a corona wire or lightning wire, runs along with, or slightly above, the three loaded wires. This has several fuctions. It is solidly grounded at each tower base, to a driven earth ground. If lightning should hit the service, the lightning wire is in position to be hit first, being closer to the strike than the power cables. Thus, it can dissipate any surge harmlessly into the earth. So far, this is no different than a lightning rod on a barn or home. The other function is to collect any radiated "corona" or air discharge from the high voltage line itself. This too is directed into the earth ground at the base of the tower or pole. What happens is this: Obviously, no cable can run continuously over miles and miles without being spliced. Wherever you have a splice, it takes the form of a copper coupling that looks much like a shaft coupling, two half shells joined by screws. The two cabe ends are clamped together inside this coupling, thus forming a continuous conductor. The problem arises when the coupling starts to corrode and become less conductive. What happens then is that any voltage carried on this grounded cable is then forced to travel down the tower to the earth ground at the base, and then through the earth, to the next tower, and back up the earth ground cable. The resistance on this path is less in some cases than a trip through the corroded coupling. Naturally, this raw power flow through the damp ground is undesired, and can damage equipment, homes, plumbing, steel structures nearby, kill trees and shrubs, etc. as well as presenting a huge electrical shock hazard. The key word here is the power flow through the ground is an unintended result of bad maintenence, one of the power company's hallmarks.
I don't see how this situation parallels the armour we are discussing, but it does present a formidable EMF field where it occurs. Unfortunately, there is no clear study to date on EMF as it relates to human disease. There are statistical connections, and a lot of suspicion, but no study yet has proven it. What's important to understand is that EMF is not the same as direct radiation of power. With a cell phone, you are actually radiating considerable power directly into all surrounding solid objects, your brain included. This should not be a new issue however, because the emmisions from the average field radio like the RT524 et al are as dangerous if not more so than a cellphone. Mil radios are notorious for being operated in proximity to unshielded personnel. When you key the mike on your M151 radio, you are bathing yourself in a powerful radio emission field, and any background EMF from the antenna or transmission line voltage would be of secondary concern. So would be the case with our electric armour, as it is not the source of the most dangerous radiation on the vehicle.
I'd love to learn more about this, as I tend to be a bit skeptical of its success. Based on such simple technology, it seems impossible that no one has thought of it before, and it has a "Philadelphia Experiment" smell about it.
I respectfuly submit my 2 cents....
Jack
heavy snippage here....
In a message dated Mon, 26 Aug 2002 1:35:29 PM Eastern Standard Time, Ryan M Gill <rmgill@mindspring.com> writes:
>>*Although they are not supposed to do this, it is common practice for Utility
>>Companies to use the Earth as a neutral or ground return to save money on
>>stringing additional cable. One of the things this guy has been
>>doing is taking
>
>Thats something other than just radiated EMF or EMP. That's real
>current traveling through the ground. Likely a small current that is
>measurable. Over time I can see that causing problems or real damge
>if there were a current spike.
>
>
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