Why Raindrops Make for Pretty Good Antennae
This can be both a benefit or a curse, depending on whether you’re trying to broadcast a signal in rainy weather or operating a weather radar. Here it’s essential to understand what kind of antenna a raindrop really is to optimize for either scenario, which is where a video by [Marshall Bruner] provides a solid primer. The video focuses on the Rayleigh regime, which may be familiar from atmospheric Rayleigh scattering that also affects EM radiation in the visible spectrum, giving those of us gifted with retinas capable of color vision those nice blue skies.
- ▪This can be both a benefit or a curse, depending on whether you’re trying to broadcast a signal in rainy weather or operating a weather radar.
- ▪Here it’s essential to understand what kind of antenna a raindrop really is to optimize for either scenario, which is where a video by [Marshall Bruner] provides a solid primer.
- ▪The video focuses on the Rayleigh regime, which may be familiar from atmospheric Rayleigh scattering that also affects EM radiation in the visible spectrum, giving those of us gifted with retinas capable of color vision those nice blue skie
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| Original publisher | Hackaday |
| Canonical URL | https://hackaday.com/2026/09/22/why-raindrops-make-for-pretty-good-antennae/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 23 Sep 2026 02:00:10 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-23T02:04:30.143Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-23T02:04:30.143Z |
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| Cluster | ulOcPOifuc1h · 1 stories |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Why Raindrops Make For Pretty Good Antennae No comments by: Maya Posch September 22, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy A good rule of thumb is that everything that can interact with electromagnetic (EM) radiation is an antenna, which includes our mostly-salty-water-containing bodies and also raindrops and moisture in the air. This can be both a benefit or a curse, depending on whether you’re trying to broadcast a signal in rainy weather or operating a weather radar. Here it’s essential to understand what kind of antenna a raindrop really is to optimize for either scenario, which is where a video by [Marshall Bruner] provides a solid primer.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hackaday.
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