An aerostat-supported ELF/VLF transmitter

A demonstration of an aerostat-supported extremely low frequency/very low frequency (ELF/VLF) transmitting antenna was performed. At ELF the vertical electric dipole (VED) antenna radiated at least 100,000 times more power than would a horizontal electric dipole having the same moment. That efficiency was achieved with an altitude of 12,500 feet (3810 m). Calculations show that the radiated power will increase as the fourth power of aerostat altitude. The tether antenna exhibited a corona onset voltage of 180 kV and was resistant to the degrading effects of ELF corona. Prolonged in-corona operation is therefore possible. The antenna was continuously tuned, despite changes in height and capacitance caused by the aerostat flight dynamics. The huge 300-H ELF tuning inductor posed no problem. Enhanced VED moments were achieved at ELF by operation at voltages up to 260 kV, 40% above the corona onset voltage. At VLF the antenna emulated a monopole that had a radiation efficiency greater than 90%. The measured bandwidths were large: 1.5 kHz at 23 kHz and 3.5 kHz at 34 kHz. The antenna height exceeded one-quarter wavelength at VLF, so the antenna could be tuned capacitively and required relatively low base voltages. At both VLF and ELF the measured fields agreed closely with predictions.