> >>
> This is probably a silly idea but how about a small coil that picks up
stray
> rf radiation, rectify it and pump up a low leakage electrolytic, this
could
> be used in conjunction with the battery,
> <<
>
> Hmm.  If you're close enough to a major transmitter and you can put up a
> decent antenna and protect it from lightning...

How about collecting some electrons from the lightning? Some kind of
capacitor and diode arrangement to charge a battery. There's far more energy
available there, the trick is to collect as much of it as possible in the
nanoseconds available, and to avoid collecting a direct hit. A low-leakage
cap with several thousand volts on it could trickle-charge a nicad via some
current regulator that can cope with the stress...
/\/\/\/*=Martin

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