P-Static Questions

[kontiki]

Anybody ever run into P-Static? I saw it on a write up last night.

The crew wrote up that they experienced P-Static in icing conditions. It was the first time I had ever seen this. It was a 757. I didn't work the issue myself, just swamped with other things.

It made me wonder though, how the crew distinguished it from general radio noise or if maybe the noise was from running anti icing systems.

As a school trained EE, I really like RF/EMC radio noise science projects, so this piqued my curiosity.

We even have a static discharge tester in the line tool room. I've seen them used a couple times. I though it was an engineering development tool, I suspect we don't have any procedures published in any of the aircraft manuals for using it.

 

[gismo]

Anybody ever run into P-Static? I saw it on a write up last night.

The crew wrote up that they experienced P-Static in icing conditions. It was the first time I had ever seen this. It was a 757. I didn't work the issue myself, just swamped with other things.

It made me wonder though, how the crew distinguished it from general radio noise or if maybe the noise was from running anti icing systems.

As a school trained EE, I really like RF/EMC radio noise science projects, so this piqued my curiosity.

We even have a static discharge tester in the line tool room. I've seen them used a couple times. I though it was an engineering development tool, I suspect we don't have any procedures published in any of the aircraft manuals for using it.

I've encountered P-Static several times, mostly in "dry" snow. The first indication is usually the squelch breaking on the comm radio you're listening to. I've had VOR reception pretty much disabled as well as LORAN but never have seen an effect on GPS reception. BTW this is on an airplane with close to a dozen functioning anti-static wicks. I suspect a TAS above 200 mph contributes to the likelihood.

 

[denverpilot]

I've experienced p-static on "hot" Amateur Radio transceivers at highway speeds in ground vehicles, especially if the little corona ball has been knocked off a 5/8 wave at VHF sized antenna. (Single band or trapped multi-band, doesn't matter.)

Agreed that the dryer the outside air, the worse it is. Snow in a dry climate like here. Rain, I've heard t-storm electrical/RF noise from lightning and static discharges in the storm, but not the broadbanded whoosh of p-static. The water content seems to help it dissipate.

Also have heard p-static once in a poorly maintained C-210 in snow. Squelches open, continuous white noise. Occasional pops of discharges that allow the squelch to close for a little bit. Covered up weak signals from other aircraft on the ZDV frequency we were on.