Re: Tesla Coil RF Transmitter

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>

"end of a tesla coil? answer: the ground plate! Tesla was transmitting
energy by pumping a charge into the ground itself. As a matter of
fact, if you read his later writings, he was trying to keep RF losses
to a minimum. He would usually say that his coils dissipated about
10% energy in RF, and 90% energy through the ground.

Your assertion that if you put a 1230 foot antenna on the thing, it
will transmit, is half right. The coil, all by itself, without an
antenna, will transmit if it is properly grounded.

Dan"

	We all know what he said, but that doesn't mean it's true; in this case
it can't be.  This is one topic where he clearly bent his pick and went
off into the wild blue yonder.  Remember that at the time he was writing
this he was stating with certainty that "Hertzian waves are dead and
will soon disappear from the scene."  They still are king over 100 years
later, and for a good reason.

	If current flows into the ground an equal amoung MUST flow through
whatever you call the thing on top of the coil.  There is no way his
configuration could have behaved other than as a transmitter with a
short top-loaded antenna.  The circuit is clearly shown over and over
again in his patents.  I'll agree that the radiated power would have
been low because it's a lousy design for transmitting but that's all it
could do.

Sorry,

Ed

And the controversy goes on!