What keeps the gate open?

[Pogo01]

You see episodes where the stargate simply shuts down after a single person goes through, then you see episodes where the stargate stays open until every last person steps through the gate. Then there are episodes where there's someone on the other end leaving him arm through the stargate keeping it open for everyone else. My question is.. what actually keeps the gate open?

[Vala_M]

This has been discussed many, many times. The REAL reason (that being the reason in real life not the in show explanation) is that the writers/producers have stated that "The gate stays open as long as the scene calls for".

Vala,

[Pogo01]

Every inch of Stargate technology is analyzed by members of the Science and Tech section for a reasonable explanation but yet you're all settled on the explanation of "The gate stays open as long as the scene calls for". Geniuses i say...

[Gate-builder]

You can send radio waves through the wormhole in order to keep it open. We see this in 'Lost City' when the SG teams are coming back under attack, and someone says something along the lines of 'send a constant raido signal to keep it open'

[Xiphias]

Magnets. Remember, if there is no apparent reason or explanation, it's magnets.

[Kebab Gud]

This guy

[Vala_M]

Every inch of Stargate technology is analyzed by members of the Science and Tech section for a reasonable explanation but yet you're all settled on the explanation of "The gate stays open as long as the scene calls for". Geniuses i say...

You know, sometimes. When the in-show explanation is missing or doesn't make sense, you have to use the real world one.

Vala,

[Ancavge]

yeah been talk about before, even i made a thread about this a long time ago, im sure.

[SpinningChevron]

It sort of makes sense when they dial out of the S.G.C because someone like Walter just shuts it off, but when they dial in from an alien world I would like to know who shuts it off from the alien side.

[Itzan]

The Gate will stay active for a certain period of time. If someone is halfway trhough the gate, it stays open longer, and can't be manually shut down. Those times the gate shut off quickly, was when someone manually shut it down.

[jenks]

The in-show answer is that he gate shuts down when nothing is being sent through. The real answer is that the gate shuts down whenever the scene calls for it.

[LT.Adams]

The gate can stay open for 38 minutes as long as there is nothing traveling though. i cant remember what episode it was but it was where Hammond retired and was replaced by that NID push over. He had Carter build a doomsday weapon and sent it to a Gouald mining planet it blew up the planet and sent radiation though the gate. this kept the gate open for the 38 minute window. But if the gate has no travelers it shuts down automatically.
and don't forget the SGC can shut it down by the means of the big red button.

[Vala_M]

In season 9 or 10, Gen. Landry told Walter to shut down an incoming wormhole and he did it from the computers. I don't remember which episode it was though.

Vala,