Sea Water Antenna

[mattcasdorph]

I have another thought, could a person use a cup of salt water to make a UHF/VHF antenna for a TV?

[mattcasdorph]

so its basically using the water as an antenna and the height of the water being pumped up makes it work as a bigger antenna? I originally got the impression that it was sending signals through the water just by the device sitting in the water considering the water is always connected it would be like one giant antenna, it apparently wouldn't work like that..

[barnaclebudd]

Reminds me of when I was a kid and my older brothers tricked me into peeing on an electric fence.

[sectorrazuma]

нихера се...



[zs1pvs]

Hmm - asking for a signal report on a repeater?

Nice toy and nice implementation, but is this a serious option for a sea going craft? How do you deal with wind? Why not just have a plastic pipe with a variable amount of water in?

[DildoDomeyer]

I think trying to use this for HF would be a problem because the stream tends to break into droplets the farther it gets from the nozzle-which I'm sure would be the same as a break in a wire antenna. It would take a nozzle probably at least 1 1/2 inches in diameter pumping about 1000 GPM to create an unbroken stream 50-75 feet long-like the big gun nozzle on fireboats. I will stick with a quick jury rigged NVIS inverted vee for emergency comms.

[gmarf1]

See paper Fayad, H.; Record, P.; Electronics Letters Volume: 42 , Issue: 3

Digital Object Identifier: 10.1049/el:20063633 Publication Year: 2006 , Page(s): 133 - 134. What is the purpose of the permanent magnet. We found the salt in water ( sea water) only acts as lossy dielectric

[TheGyroid]

make it so it creates energy from salt water and charges a battery that can be used to move the pump and charge the radio

[TheGyroid]

make it so it creates energy from salt water and charges a batery

[zaidtube2]

Great, simplistic, and very useful invention. What prohibits you from going above UHF range. I like the idea of recycling the water. Create one that is Battery-operated.

Can you create a simple radio that uses the water itself as an antenna. Can you go above UHF range.

[tdougherty08]

Where can I get/build one?

[eyreland]

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Reinventing the wheel I would say.

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And you are probably totally right, in this case on the internal material and the interfaces have any (latent) patentability ... but in the US the patent laws have gone bizerk so you never know.

[baalzebubamerica]

Brilliant!

I want one!

I am looking forward to seeing this for sale at the marina or radio shop

[rejoiceinsanity]

Why not pump down if your able to use the tube to enclose it, it seems you could use it with a lower power pump and keep recirculating the water. Could use some sort of telecoping tube to adjust the antenna size. Mount it on a small bouy it could collapse into itself making it self contained other than the cable to your radio.

[elliott12591]

WWII

[midnightcaller200]

can you use fresh water?

[nomel23]

Hrmm...how about on a windy day though?

[Masowai]

@nomel23 On a windy day, let's hope you're broadcasting on UHF.

[baalzebubamerica]

@nomel23

how about using plastic tubing filled with conductive liquid, maybe something better than saltwater, maybe water fortified with some mineral or chemical

[jimday666]

very nice!

[parabolic9]

New meaning for "current flow"

[K5CQJ]

Brilliant Idea and amazing concept for a multi-band antenna!

Many blessings and 73,

K5CQJ AL"Sarge"

[F6HCM]

SWR ?

73's



[julietelima]

a very clever idea. but during a natural disaster, I think it is better to use a generator. or else how will you connect a water pump to produce a jet to make an antenna? or maybe use a photocell to power the pump to the suction of seawater that will create the antenna ...

[julietelima]

a very clever idea. but during a natural disaster, I think it is better to use a generator. or else how will you connect a water pump to produce a jet to make an antenna? or maybe use a photocell to power the pump to the suction of seawater that will create the antenna ...

[ebourlet]

So what happens when the wind blows (or the boat it's mounted on is moving)? It's awfully hard to maintain a continuous stream in a real world environment over more than a few feet.

[sdjakeblues]

This is AWESOME!! We've always knew that saltwater inproved communications, we've laughed about and underwater antenna. Well now it's come true!! I can see many applications for this system. Congratulations!

[TonkoJursky]

 WOW !

[TexasScout]

With some flow conditioning to give the stream a laminar flow, this could work better.

[aeonios]

I am looking forward to seeing a 160m version of this antenna, hihi!

[cablemedic207]

Ok , I have to ask . .Why does the operator @ 2:58 look at his received signal strength ?He is using a REPEATER!!!!!!!!!!!

[cablemedic207]

Ok , I have to ask . .Why does the operator @ 2:58 look at his received signal strength ?He is using a REPEATER!!!!!!!!!!! Is this another case of memorizing test questions to go from tech to extra in one test session?

[MrChuckzilla]

When you guys get that antenna to the range, let us know what happens when you key legal limit into a 1/4" stream of water at HF freq. I'm thinking steam.

[dreyfusfunkt]

This will be a godsend to those who live in antenna-restricted developments; setting up a fountain that acts as an antenna would be VERY cool. Just beware of 'splatter' hi hi!

Also, I imagine this really solves the issue of radials (or would you still need to couple with the saltwater for ground the old fashioned way? IE - can this same coupling work on the GROUND end of the antenna?).

This has major implications for DXpeditions.

73 de K6JEB

[gyrogeerloose]

Hey, I've got the Otay Mountain repeater on my HT!

[tonijn1969]

maybe will this work with a laser to?

[jigglesnap]

@tonijn1969 strong ultraviolet lasers can ionize the air, so yeah, that might work for making really long "antennas". Don't make a conducting path to a storm cloud, though.

[corsair112]

Interesting.... But I did not geet idea of carrying around a pump and a piece of tubing (and water?) in disaster areas. Whats wrong with using a fishing rod and a piece of wire, which requires no pump???

[BERMUDA1149]

At what point does wind and froward motion inter-rupt signal?

[cts6921]

Incredible! Would love to try it for amateur sat work. LOL it would also keep my Housing assc of my back i could tell them it was art

[dkozinn]

@morgauxo Why would that be an issue, all my ham gear is commercially made.

[Badwsky]

I wonder.:Does the water, as it breaks up, increase the noise level as it breaks up into beads? - ww2w

[Wizardess]

You gentlemen might look into laminar flow nozzles for better performance. I don't think that has been done before. I believe the spray nozzle technique may have been used as long ago as the 1970s. Then it was dropped in favor of the now bog standard rubber duckie antenna.

Another idea from the late 60s is coupling RF energy into the ionic fluid inside living trees to use the tree trunk as an antenna. It, too, sort of worked.

{^_^}

{^_^}

[n6rky]

Things are squirting up!

[NW7US]

Incredible! This is very innovative. Brilliant! 

[nz5c]

simply outstanding. thank you so much for your work

[NavyDavid1939]

Although the submarine's buoyant cable antenna (BCA) may continue to be the primary SSN or SSBN undersea (submerged) antenna whilst on station, the seawater antenna may replace the BCA. The apparent lower cost of the seawater antenna appears to one great advantage versus the BCA. However, the PETA people may vigorously oppose using something other than a BCA. Why would PETA object you might ask yourself? Seagulls frequently perch on a BCA to rest: No BCA, No place to rest.

[pa1ap]

Reinventing the wheel I would say. There is prior art for this and cannot be patented, they should do a little more homework and look around before making such claims... google for "Ionic Liquid Antenna"

[SPAWARPacificT2]

@pa1ap It is unique. Uses a pump that shoots electrolytic fluid through center of current probe. Height and diameter of fluid stream determine freq and bandwidth. Also provides for use of multiple heads and current probes to cover variety of freq and bandwidths. While diff variations of ionic liquid antennas exist, we are not aware of one that incorporates these features. Antennas that take advantage of conductivity of sea water have been around for decades. This particular design is novel.

[w4kwd]

Very cool!

[wrlgmail]

Wow- a Gaussian field never looked so good to us hams! I wonder, do we need to individually enter into a license agreement to experiment further?

[SPAWARPacificT2]

@wrlgmail There may be a few different ways to partner with SSC Pacific and collaborate/experiment further. Please contact our Technology Transfer Office at ssc_pac_t2@navy.mil for more information.

[ac4uv]

Cleaver Idea.

What type of gain can we expect on this antenna?  -10 dBd? 0 dBd? Gain at 2 MHz??

HAMSL = 0' with sea base solution

[SPAWARPacificT2]

@ac4uv At this time, no antenna gain measurements have been conducted on the antenna. Radiation pattern and gain measurements will be conducted at our antenna testing range in the near future.