[Alexander Tkachev]

Alexander Tkachev  asked the Naked Scientists:
Hi Chris, thank you for your work. I wish we had something comparable to your show in Russia.

My question is about TV antenna. Is it true that if you polish the metalic plates of a TV antenna with mercury (Hg) the quality of the reception of TV signal will improve?

We were told antennas polished with mercury would radiate some sort of signal which is perilous to other radio waves. Even aeroplanes flying over these antennas had some difficulties with their radio equipment.

In remote areas of Russia it was the only way to have a working TV set.
Was it possible or it was another urban legend?

Melalic plates - small metallic elements which are fixed on roofs of houses. They are connected with TV via cable. Nowadays this type of TV antenna is used in villages and small towns.

I'm a lawyer and I'm not familiar with this area of science so I hope my question is not very stupid:)

Thank you in advance.

A. Tkachev
What do you think?

[graham.d]

I can't see how this would work in any way and, anyway, mercury is bad for you.

[techmind]

It sounds substantially like an urban myth to me.

If the external metal were badly corroded I suppose it might just be conceivable that the mercury could clean it and increase the surface conductivity - but I'm doubtful.

The bit about "antennas polished with mercury would radiate some sort of signal which is perilous to other radio waves..." is complete bunkum. No basis in fact at all.


Mercury is regarded as very hazardous. If you are ever tempted to try this, be aware also that you must not let mercury get anywhere near metallic gold (especially jewellery) as it will discolour and eventually dissolve the gold, by forming an amalgam with it.

[Pumblechook]

Utter nonsense.

Broadcast/radio/electronics engineer with 40 years experience.

[Bored chemist]

Outstandingly dumb idea. Particularly if (as is quite common) the metal bits are made of aluminium, they will corrode so fast you can watch them fall apart.
I'm not a broadcast engineeer (I'm a chemist) but I think a bigger antenna would be a much better way to do this (better desigend antennae are probably better yet).

[Pumblechook]

Wouldn't mercury just 'run off' the surface of the metal?  It tends to form little globules. 

As regards aerials.. They are made of variety of metals.  Satellite dishes are steel.  Some high gain arrays are made of stainless steel.   It makes little difference.   Aluminium is used because it is light.   Steel is a poor conductor but the current is only flowing in the elements of an aerial for a short distance and the current falls off as you move away from the centre.  It is much more important to use good materials in the feeder cable which can be many metres long. 

The only way is a bigger aerial or an array of aerials.  Generally one antenna of a certain size will behave like another antenna  of a different design but of the same size..   The gain you can make by optimising the design is small. 

[Bored chemist]

Steel is relatively unusual in that it doesn't dissolve in mercury. Many other metals do, aluminium and gold have already been mentioned. The effect on aluminium is particularly noticable because the metal is normally protected from atack by air and water by a thin layer of oxide. The mercury disrupts this and leaves the aluminium open to the effect of water. That reaction is vigorous enough to boil water (BTW, don't try this at home - some of the mercury vapour escapes with the steam)).

[lyner]

The idea is total bollocks!
It must have been invented in a boiler room (topical joke).
If it were just the surface resistance of antennae that governed their performance, the sad old things on our chimneys* would have packed up years ago'.

* I am not referring to the aerial maintenance engineers.

[IGOR.M6]

I am sorry to bring up this thread again its been 4 years since it started, but I've been looking for it for a long time, I remember when i was in the 7th grade,  a friend of mine got an old Russian book in the library (at the time when i used to live in Ukraine) and he read there about adding mercury to antenna, it wasn't particularly rubbing it into the aluminum - that would dissolve it, but somehow adding it to it, he didn't let me on the details how to add it i assume just somehow have antenna exposed to it would be enough. So he bought five mercury thermometers and used it in a village where his grandparents lived, he said he got amazing signal that he could watch channels from poland, for that you would need a very high gain dish in a very good spot, he used an old soviet roof top antenna, but the fun didnt last long, he said that in about two hours a military "Uazik" came there, told him to take antenna off the roof, and warned him if he does that again he will be put in prison, they basically said that it was messing up all their signals... i know he wasnt lying because he kept telling me to add Mercury (Hg) to my wifi so that i could get signal I wasnt believing him so he told me the story... so i dont consider it to be a legend its the truth. You do have knowledge but there are some things that are not talked about, as well as some elements have strange barely discovered qualities. If this info was really all over the internet there would be a communications chaos, but id keep it in mind in case of nuclear war breaks out lol

[IGOR.M6]

and there you have a prove that i am not lying either

if you dont wanna believe it then dont but at least be open to it - thats what true scientists do

[IGOR.M6]

Steel-Mercury-Carbon Coherer - an actual patented invention, what do super smart Arial antenna engineers have to say to that?

[Bored chemist]

In the real world, this is what mercury does to aluminium.

[CliffordK]

Hmmm...
Can I just add a radio antenna to my Mercury Amalgam Fillings in my mouth?

[IGOR.M6]

I know very well what mercury does to aluminum, and i have stated it in my post as well if you read it, but it doesnt have to be directly connected, watch the video i posted, they use a wire and run it to the antenna cable and its enough, my friend used 5 thermometers and somehow connected them to antenna, i really donno how he managed but i assume it was with an intermediate

and no dumbass it stops being reactive once its mixed with amalgam so it wont work

[CliffordK]

youtube doesn't get along very well with my router.

The point is that Mercury can be alloyed with a number of different metals to make a solid alloy.

If you want to use it in liquid form, I'd go for thermostat (not thermometer) mercury. 

From the thermostat, you can get a sealed vial of mercury, already with two electrodes in the vial that can be made to be in contact with the Mercury.

I'm doubtful that an antenna receiver would have attracted the attention of the KGB.  Perhaps the friend was attempting to broadcast.  Shortwave?

[Geezer]

and no dumbass it stops being reactive once its mixed with amalgam so it wont work

Igor,

You may not insult other TNS members. Please read the AUP - http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=8535.0

MOD

[IGOR.M6]

and no dumbass it stops being reactive once its mixed with amalgam so it wont work

You may not insult other TNS members. Please read the AUP - http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=8535.0 [nofollow]

MOD

he insulted my intelligence i insulted him back, you should warn him as well, but thanks



Too bad you cant watch the video but basically they saw off the end of thermometer and put a thin metal wire inside the mercury so its in contact then from what they say they connect the wire to the antenna... and it wasnt KGB those were just few soldiers with their commander and AK-47s they thought there was something serious going on but they found that it was just a kid trying to amplify signal.. I am not sure whether solid alloy would work, they did use liquid form maybe that's the key but i like the idea to use mercury from thermostat does indeed have wires connected, next time im in hotel ill rip it out lol

[Bored chemist]

"Too bad you cant watch the video but basically they saw off the end of thermometer and put a thin metal wire inside the mercury so its in contact then from what they say they connect the wire to the antenna"

I watched it.
 I watched "Lord of the Rings" too, but I don't believe it.

There's lots of mercury round the place in dental fillings, switches, fluorescent lights etc. so, if it had an effect, we would all know about it.

In addition to (presumably) being insulting this "and no dumbass it stops being reactive once its mixed with amalgam so it wont work" makes no real sense.

I suppose that English isn't your first language and, while I applaud your ability to use it, I strongly suggest that you stick to conveying facts clearly and don't waste effort on insults.

[IGOR.M6]

"Too bad you cant watch the video but basically they saw off the end of thermometer and put a thin metal wire inside the mercury so its in contact then from what they say they connect the wire to the antenna"
I watched it.
 I watched "Lord of the Rings" too, but I don't believe it.
There's lots of mercury round the place in dental fillings, switches, fluorescent lights etc. so, if it had an effect, we would all know about it.
In addition to (presumably) being insulting this "and no dumbass it stops being reactive once its mixed with amalgam so it wont work" makes no real sense.
I suppose that English isn't your first language and, while I applaud your ability to use it, I strongly suggest that you stick to conveying facts clearly and don't waste effort on insults.

dude im not asking you to believe it but at least dont be so pessimistic and narrow minded, open up to new things a little, you think you know everything but you dont, understand that mercury causes irreversible brain damage, agree on that at least? what we get in our tooth fillings is completely different, its non reactive, if it was reactive we would have millions of people turn mentally retarded then die, do we get that? no.
some lamps have mercury, yes, and since they are warning us about it i assume its not mixed with anything like amalgam is, but simply running electricity through it may not give an effect, a lamp is a resistor, not a receiver, if anything it emits light not absorbs it. would be cool if someone actually tried it, i would but i live in nyc and if i do something like that ill most definitely get arrested, if someone did it in the country side you would definitely get away with that one time.. when i have time ill research it more and let you know, and the video seems legit i dont see a reason not to believe it..

[Bored chemist]

"dude im not asking you to believe it "
That's OK then
"open up to new things a little"
I did, I introduced the reality that  mercury is so common that if it had any special properties we would know about them.

"a lamp is a resistor"
actually, a lamp with a gas (like mercury vapour) in it has a negative incremental resistance,
but thanks for letting us know how much you know about this.
" i dont see a reason not to believe it.."
You will.