tree as antenna

and

Boston.

In some farmed forrests trees are planted at regular intervals - might have more of an effect?

I haven't look to see who wrote this article (or the quality of the science behind the statements it contains) but you might find it interesting towards the middle/bottom of the page.

I can't say that I've delved deeply into this site, but it gets pretty fishy around chapter 11

"The reader will now need to put the desire for proof on hold. Trust has to become a major element", etc.

However the referenced Wolfgang Volkrodt paper is available... have a look at the links at the bottom of the

page. The "Electromagnetic Pollution of the Environment" document seems to conclude that otherwise clean forests (in Germany, Canada...) are being adversly affected by military radar installations and radio links.

It's more a presentation for conference more than a scientific paper but may give you some more leads.

HTH.

Regards,

--
Pat Deegan,
http://www.psychogenic.com/
Registered Linux User #128131

Thanks for the suggestions on how radio waves might affect trees, but that wasn't really the point of my posting, only my original motivation. The point was to find out how to measure how much electromagnetic radiation a particular tree is picking up at a particular radio frequency.

For example, do you drive a nail into the tree and connect the nail via a wire to your pocket radio? Or do you use a dish to first measure how much radiation of that frequency there is in some other direction with no obstacles in it, then see how much comes from the direction of the tree, compute how much of the latter is due to reflection off the tree and then subtract from the first measurement to estimate how much is being absorbed?

--
Ignorantly,
Allan Adler 
* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT CSAIL. My actions and
* comments do not reflect in any way on MIT. Also, I am nowhere near Boston.

I knew a man once who claimed to have had either a CB or Ham radio antenna as a part of a tree. He claimed it worked and others also backed him. I never witnessed it myself, so I can't say for sure. I'm trying to recall HOW he did it. It had something to do with spikes or nails and perhaps (not sure) use them as a beam array of sorts with a vertical radiation.. I say beam in that when you have a beam, you have a reflector, the driven element and then the directors. I do believe that was his set up in the tree.

L.

A professor of mine once told me of his friend in a ham radio club who used a tree as the antenna for a transciever during a field hunt. After searching for the target for hours he finally told the group that he worked on research during WWII using trees as antennas. Sounds like the military has been doing this for years.

: > L. : : A professor of mine once told me of his friend in a ham radio club who : used a tree as the antenna for a transceiver during a field hunt. : After searching for the target for hours he finally told the group : that he worked on research during WWII using trees as antennas. Sounds : like the military has been doing this for years.

Well, mostly in WW2. It has been dome many times in field installations where hiding was necessary.

I say, whatever it takes... If it works, DO IT! ANYTHING is better than nothing when you're in a bind. Who knows, maybe someone will live in a place where no "antennas" are allowed, not to mention towers, mast, etc. IF there is a tree there, they could use it and no one be the wiser. Maybe it won't work as well as a commercial job, but if you want to be on the air, then the tree beats nothing (at least speaking outdoors). There are 2 meter antennas which have been on the market for a while to be "stealth" antennas for areas which don't like antennas. Ya got to do what ya got to do.

NS

: > : > L. : > : : > : A professor of mine once told me of his friend in a ham radio : > club who : > : used a tree as the antenna for a transceiver during a field : > hunt. : > : After searching for the target for hours he finally told the : > group : > : that he worked on research during WWII using trees as antennas. : > Sounds : > : like the military has been doing this for years. : >

: > Well, mostly in WW2. : > It has been dome many times in field installations where hiding : > was necessary. : >

: >

: : I say, whatever it takes... If it works, DO IT! ANYTHING is better than : nothing when you're in a bind. Who knows, maybe someone will live in a place : where no "antennas" are allowed, not to mention towers, mast, etc. IF there : is a tree there, they could use it and no one be the wiser. Maybe it won't : work as well as a commercial job, but if you want to be on the air, then the : tree beats nothing (at least speaking outdoors). There are 2 meter antennas : which have been on the market for a while to be "stealth" antennas for areas : which don't like antennas. Ya got to do what ya got to do. : : NS : Gutters work too! As will a wire run under the eves. I have even run a single strand of wire up a tree and used it as an antenna, the tree loads the wire so tuning was dicey. I have also used aluminum foil in the attic. Works fine too.

An antenna hidden inside a vent extension will sometimes go for years before someone notices. I have also see a mobile antenna on a the back of a trellis in the rear garden. Buried the feed line.