To fashion antennae for short-wave radio , for example , spouts between 18 and 24 metres high are about right .

例如，要制造短波无线电天线，18～24米高的水柱就够了。

One disadvantage of water spouts is that they can be torn apart by the wind .

喷水柱的缺点之一，是风会撕裂它。

And if a ship needed to be particularly stealthy ( which would mean keeping its transmissions to a minimum ) , her captain could simply switch the water spouts off altogether .

而假如一艘军舰必须格外悄无声息地行驶（意味着信号传播强度降至最低），舰长只要完全关闭喷水嘴就行了。

Not all of a ship 's antennae are used at once , so the spouts could be adjusted continuously to obtain the types needed at a given moment .

但一艘舰只上的天线，并非都能同时使用，因此水柱可不断调节，特定时刻所需的各类天线都能得到。