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Live Lightning Maps

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WeatherHost:
Not sure what's up here.  I have both maps open, lightningmaps.org and the USPLN GE  restricted access version.  I can see flashes out the windows and hear the rumbles, yet I see no strikes on either map.  I'm zoomed out well beyond my own local area because I know light and sound travel.  Strikes are appearing even farther out, so I know the maps are working.  And I see many within my own area, even a few that have alarmed in my USPLN zone, so I believe my sensor is working.

Sometimes the light and sound coordinate with strikes on the map, but there are still several that I see and hear, that do not show on either map.  I'm guessing that they just don't catch everything?

miraculon:

--- Quote ---I'm guessing that they just don't catch everything?
--- End quote ---

They don't. I have a "Blue" Blitzortung detector and a "Red". (w/different antenna types and about 20 ft. apart.)
These detectors will catch and miss strikes vs. the other.
Same with USPLN. I have seen closely matching strikes, judging from the time-stamp and position. At a certain zoomed out granularity, the lightning areas are pretty close. (same with Vaisala NLDN)

Greg H.

Cutty Sark Sailor:
As Greg points out: they don't... regardless of what they may advertise.

Have you used the control setting on Lightning Maps Org to observer the 'experimental' algorithms? If not, try implementing that... not always active, and we're never sure what they're specifically 'shooting' at, but you often see 'experimental' showing twice or more number of impulses, especially if the cells are very active with types not C-G.

If the impulses are C-C and I-C, systems are much less likely to locate a stroke.  Also there are less common discharge type variations, with H and E polarities and discharge characteristics that are more difficult to locate since those are weaker, and other locating receivers at distance may not be able to pull them out of the EMF garbage of very active cells. This is one reason Blitzortung is designed to go Interference Mode with very active nearby cells... most of the signals can be 'worthless' for locating... but the system sure detects 'em! Until it goes interference....

Detecting is one thing... locating is another. You can 'detect' with ears and eyes or an am radio. It takes good data to locate. Blitzortung, in normal operation, only displays strokes it can 'locate', ... Lightningmaps attempts to locate additional discharges using additional algorithms and processing not necessarily utilized on the Blitzortung servers, and some of those results can be viewed when you enable 'experimental'.

hankster:
USPLN takes 3 sensors to detect a strike and a 4th to verify before it will display them.

waysta:
Not missing a stroke might be more related to geographic sensor density. 

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