Joule Thief

[totoalas]

GL
Congratulations   
Way to go in 2013     lol 
totoalas

[TinselKoala]

I just built a single module and it works to light an LED dimly using my Earth ground and my 15-meter longwire antenna outside (not a very good antenna). This house has a metal roof and is in kind of a radio-dead zone besides; it's hard to pick up standard broadcast signals.

It works with either polarity, too...that is, it doesn't matter whether I have the ground, or the antenna, hooked to the hookup points, works either way. The same module hooked across the little bifilar coil lights the LED brightly when near my wireless power transmitter..... perhaps the most inefficient way to light an LED yet discovered ! 12 volts at several amps input to the transmitter..... and a small green LED glowing brightly on the output !!

[totoalas]

A ground is one side of an electrical supply that allows the flow of electrons to exit its source.  With no ground, the electricity cannot move away from its source and and cannot do any work.
http://cr4.globalspec.com/PostImages/200809/Ground_73D8068A-90F5-1190-9B9F0521134DB637.JPG)
In the case of a vehicle with lots of metal (e.g. an automobile or a ship), the power is run from a source, through a resistance (meaning how it is utilized, like a motor or light bulb), and into the metal body.  The metal body is large enough to absorb most of the extra electron flow and transmit it to the earth through the air, water, or other fluid in which it is situated.
Because the transmission of electrons through fluid encourages rust to form on the large metal body, the transmission is sometimes routed through a 'sacrificial anode'...a piece of metal lower on the galvanic response scale...so that the sacrificial anode does the rusting instead of the metal body to which it is attached as the electrons flow through the anode and then through the ambient fluid to the earth.
(http://cr4.globalspec.com/PostImages/200809/Ground_with_sacrifical_anode_73D89A5F-ADE4-532E-C868EDC33AD0F8AB.JPG)
The body is called a ground, the practice is called 'grounding', and it is so-called because it imitates the quality of the planetary surface of our planet to absorb an electron flow, which makes the earth the largest of all grounds.
Grounding is also the descriptive word used when the electricity follows any path to the earth or any other ground.  If the grounding is very light, or caused accidentally, it is called a 'ground fault', and can sometimes inhibit a full electricity flow through the circuit.  People who are electrocuted accidentally have unintentionally provided a path to a ground or to the earth for electricity from the source to follow; so for example wall outlets have been designed that open immediately if the tiniest overload through them caused by a ground fault is detected to prevent accidental electrocution.
In household wiring, all the wires that will eventually run to the ground are gathered together first, as 'neutral' wires, then connected to a single ground, usually the earth either at the house or at a power station's choice of locations.
The earth or 'earth' you are speaking of is the planet you are standing on.  The earth is the mother of all grounds.  Since it is huge and the moisture in its surface enhances electricity flow, a conductive stake driven into it will act as the perfect exit for the flowing electrons in an electrical circuit.  Sometimes water pipes are used to ground circuits as they eventually connect through the earth to their underground sources.
That is why in some countries, the words 'earth' and 'earthing' are sometimes interchangeable with the words 'ground' and 'grounding'.  If a ground is not found by using the earth, a large metal source will usually do.
Mark
The above quote are for newbies to understand the terms   
Happy experimenting
totoalas

[stprue]

@GL,

That's a lot of $$.  What I would also do if I were you is also follow Jes's instructions on the Al plate/antenna.  Also check out the link to EE forum.  There is 3 pages of good information there.  What is not clearly stated is what the Al plate should be insulated with something and from whatever you will be hanging it on.  I have done a little research on this and it seems that teflon spray might be a better insulation choice.  Something about negative ion attraction, but do your own research to confirm.  Sounds like you may soon have a free energy lab as the very least.  I'm very excited to see a scaled up version of this radiant energy receiver.  Other then stories of people building these units, I have never actually know the good credentials of a builder, until now!   

[e2matrix]

I was just going to mention that you will see much better results with a Teflon coated wire but I see stprue just mentioned that.  I'm not sure teflon spray is the way to go though since you can buy Teflon coated wire.  The Teflon attracts charges and even a slight wind can add a lot to the effect.   It's a bit more expensive but somewhere between $10 and $20 should get you about 50 feet of it.