Posted by alinepapille on
URL: https://www.es-forum.com/Multimeter-tp1544795p1544808.html

Hi Bruno,

It sounds like the 'Body Voltage Meter' measures how electric fields
are impacting you rather than the electric field strength itself.

Is this correct?

Aline

--- In [hidden email], "Bill Bruno" <wbruno@...> wrote:
I know a lot of people do measurements the way Stewart describes, and
it has the advantage of being accurate and reproducible. But,
theoretically, the number it gives is not relevant, because it
measure the change in AC potential (voltage), not the electric field.
And theoretically the field can be very weak even if the potential is
large.

I have done interesting measurements with the same kind of meter and
the same settings, but without a ground wire. Just hold one lead in
the hand, making good contact, and extend the other out away from your
body towards the electric source. The trick is to extend that lead
without holding your hand around it, because that will shield the
field. Ideally it should extend far so there's no effect of your
body. In practice make sure it's a least a few inches. You could put
the lead inside a cardboard tube for example. Or tape it to a
chopstick. You'll find that the reading varies with body stance, etc,
but you will be able to detect AC electric fields more sensitively
than with the basic Trifield meter (which also measures magnetic
fields).