Nathan Stubblefield Earth battery/Self Generating Induction Coil Replications

[jeanna]

I could be way off here but do you think hardwood ashes ... or lots of paper ashes with a little moisture in a hole... I guess thats not technically carbon but maybe a cheap alternative.

Oh Joe,
I am so glad to hear you're going to do some battery.  " snow-battery?" experiments.

Your  idea brought up a I thought have been rolling around.

The very first exercise in my first electronics book was th make a measured line and rub a pencil darkly and thickly over the line. This was then used as a demonstration for resistance. I was to measure the resistance for 1 inch 2 inches... of this thick black line. This was a true resistor.

Carbon is already used in the battery industry, so, perhaps this question is already well answered, but I find it curious that we are measuring currents that are supposedly going from South to North through a whole lot of resistance in the soil.  And with a strong resistor actually being the northerly electrode. So, the resistance begins right away with the southerly electrode and continues to the point where it meets the ultimate resistor, which is carbon.  I am thinking. Is this, or how is this a battery?

(Indeed the moisture thing probably relates to the resistance of the dryness of the soil.)

Always pushing my boundaries,

jeanna

ps if you mix ashes with water you get KOH along with other things. It is good for making soap (and good to know since obtaining that soap making chemical is hard to get nowadays). I think it will probably add a lot of electrolite to the immediate area of the soil, It is worth a try, Joe - you probably have a good supply about now .  I would wonder how long it would last. but in any case it would probably add to any galvanic reaction we are seeing. I would love to know your result if you try it, Joe.

jeanna

[DrStiffler]

I have been watching this thread for some time and have a 1/2 cents worth of comment.

You are trying to intercept some current flowing in the earth? Hopefully not trying to make an earth battery as a Lemon or Potato will work better. Okay you are looking to capture some current in the earth so how would one go about it?

Electrode type should not be an issue (if you are capturing and not creating) a current. So maybe forget the electrode type problem. Except for DC do not all currents have frequency? Indeed they do, and that would present the concept of wavelength (how far to space the electrodes). But is not the earth somewhat like the human body?, a mass of currents flowing in all directions from synapse to synapse? Yes indeed you can place a voltmeter (sensitive) across any two area's of the body and measure a current, but it is only a very small current as each individual current flows in a different direction and many cancel, yes some add.

So what am I saying? Why not forget the DC concept, look only into varying currents. Now we still have the wavelength issue, but what about building a coil with a variable capacitor and placing it in the earth on a plastic pipe handle so it can be rotated. This would allow the coil to be turned and pickup the best of the tuned earths variable waves.

Look at it this way, if a home has a connection to the grid, currents flow from the home out in all directions to find the least resistance path back to the generator. They mix with other currents, add and subtract, often cancel, but spots are found where they are very large. Now you pay for current flowing into your home thought the meter, used in the devices you use, and out through a ground (neutral) connection. Once past the meter what you pick up is free :-). So from every home for example flows free energy, just waiting to be tapped with the right coil and capacitor.

A little thought gives an answer here. Use what you have, forget the Lemon and Potato, if you pull 200amp through your home, you expel 200amp, where?

[jeanna]

Electrode type should not be an issue (if you are capturing and not creating) a current.

So what am I saying? Why not forget the DC concept, look only into varying currents. Now we still have the wavelength issue, but what about building a coil with a variable capacitor and placing it in the earth on a plastic pipe handle so it can be rotated. This would allow the coil to be turned and pickup the best of the tuned earths variable waves.
A little thought gives an answer here. Use what you have, forget the Lemon and Potato, if you pull 200amp through your home, you expel 200amp, where?

RStiffler,
Would you like to join us?
Your 1/2 c makes it sound as though you already have the answer and you are guiding your students to learn it for themselves. While I respect that as a way to teach, I don't think it has a place here.  If you with your good sounding ideas would like to join in the experiments I am sure we would all appreciate your sharing your results and thoughts and 2c for that matter.
jeanna

[hansvonlieven]

G'day all'

Have a look at this:

GROUNDWAVE RADIO

The late part of the Nineteenth Century was a rich and productive time for the empirical researchers, those who explored the deep mysteries of ground conduction radio. Such investigation produced a new world of possibilities in the Wireless Arts. Experimenters found distinctive differences when varieties of geometric shapes were simply buried, a series of discoveries having no satisfactory conventional explanation. A great many highly specialized ground "antennas" were developed and patented during this time period, a technology which provoked both disbelief and criticism on numerous counts.

The very first vocal radio broadcast was engaged by Nathan B. Stubblefield (1872). Mr. Stubblefield employed special "earth cells" and long iron rods to transmit strong vocal signals "with great clarity". These signals traversed a mile or more of ground, a coordinated conduction wireless system providing telephone service for a hardworking farm community. The Stubblefield Radio Method represents an essential technological mystery. His "earth cells" never wore out, never produced heat in their telephonic components, and provided "signal ready" power at any given instant of the day. Being neither activated or assisted by additional battery power, the system was fully operational around the clock.

Later critics attempted the reduction of the Stubblefield Radio System to mere "subsoil conduction" mode of transmission, but remain completely unable to reproduce the performance to this day. Mr. Stubblefield repeatedly stated confidence in the fact that his Radio System was performing an act of modulation, not a transmission of signal power. The preexisting "electrical waves in the earth", he firmly stated, were the real energy carriers for his Wireless Telephone Exchange. The special "earth cells" were connective terminals, not power antennas; a means by which direct connection with the geomantic energy stratum was obtained.[/b]

For the full article:

http://www.lauralee.com/antenna2.htm

Hans von Lieven

[Freezer]

@ Rstiffler,  I wondered in the beginning to whether the current from the ground was just simply the power from the home ground lines.  I have no idea how to capture this as far as the electronic circuits.  We need guys like you to show us, or give some direction and maybe we can figure it out.  I don't speak for all here, but my goal was to create any usable power that doesn't depend on man-made current, basically I wanted a power source which would work during power outages or any other type of emergencies.  Even if its just to slowly charge a battery for lighting.   I liked the water cell since water will always be available pretty much anywhere you go, and is free.  As Bill has said, it would be great to couple your device with a natural power source.
With the coil/variable capacitor, will that be to capture energy from ground lines from homes?  Can currents from the earth alone not be amplified in some way through circuitry?

@hans, I think you are on the right track, as I believe there was no or very slow breakdown of stubblefields battery which was the beauty of it.  In his patent it describes this a bit.