WXforum.net
Weather Station Hardware => Blitzortung => Topic started by: orion_jb2001 on October 19, 2017, 09:41:58 PM
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Hi all,
I received good news this morning, Friday in Oz, from Germany, with an offer to purchase a Blue system. Yay!!!! Before I place an order, just an inquiry from you honorable persons, on anything else or specifically I need to order at the same time. My red system works well, with little to no interference issues and I currently have E and H fields antennas, ferrite x 2 20cm and simple length of copper. My ferrites are working well, I intend to use the same but may add the 3rd one as well. I currently have 2 set for the red, but I think I will order 3 x 20 new ones that will then all be the same. Should I order any low pass filters at the same time and if so, how many. Not expecting to have to use them but if they are there, there available if needed. Is here anything else I need to pay attention to in construction etc??
regards,
Jeff
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I'm far from an expert.
First, leave the RED running, and if the reason for taking it off line is to harvest the ferrites just wind another pair. Easily done and they work fine.
Second I think that Mike (Cutty) has advised that unless you need the expensive filters don't order them nor install them 'just in case.' I'm running fine with my BLUE without them.
The assembly is much more straightforward with so many of the SMDs being already installed in place for you. I got my BLUE soldered and inspected and powered up in I'm guessing a 1/4 time it took for my RED.
The extra cost for putting a basic BLUE online over sacrificing the RED just to get the antennas is well less than the filter chips and the test point hardware that I'd go with the basic as I did, and not look back.
I have both stations running, and like to compare, which there are differences. And the servers accept both, and occasionally use one signal and not the others.
Or you could sell the RED installation to someone in an area where there is a need for a station, since RED is still very useful and very functional.
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Thanks for that advice Dale :)
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I placed the Linear Tech filters on my first Blue system and found that I was opening the bandwidth up to the point that they were not really needed. I left them off of the replacement board and I don't miss them.
I used the ferrite antennas and enclosures from my original "Green" system, and have kept my "Red" online to this day. I believe that Red will catch strikes that the Blue misses and vice-versa. One isn't "better" than the other, they just complement each other.
I also added the third H-Field antenna, but unlike others that used the "Delta" configuration, I have the 3rd one vertically mounted.
Greg H.
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Hey, Greg, what is your report on the third ferrite on the blue amplifier. To add it orthogonally would be a bit of a challenge to find a suitable outdoors enclosure, but is it spiffy and helpful, or now that it is there, you going to leave it?
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I also added the third H-Field antenna, but unlike others that used the "Delta" configuration, I have the 3rd one vertically mounted.
Greg H.
Ditto Dale, how do you find that vertical antenna and data being provided??
Jeff
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And re the blue system set up and shielding ferrites as in the red system, is such shielding still required with blue??
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Orion:
I have not shielded my ferrites as I did for the RED system. I might gain a little something, but right now it is running with the same installation I did initially, and while there might be some improvement, too many other things are on my must-do list to get around to trying shielded vs. native. I will say that I found little benefit, but some, when I shielded the RED ferrites. That may have lead me to not putting a higher priority on the work required to shield.
Just my observation. Those with more experience and knowledge of the whys of shielding and how H fields work may have a better answer for you.
Dale
PS, It was a bit of a pain in the tush for me to do the shielding, but I am not particularly mechanically skillful. I can't nail two boards together, yet my friends can go into their workshop and come out with a gorgeous chair or cedar chest, so I know some people can make something easily.
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PS, It was a bit of a pain in the tush for me to do the shielding, but I am not particularly mechanically skillful. I can't nail two boards together, yet my friends can go into their workshop and come out with a gorgeous chair or cedar chest, so I know some people can make something easily.
L O L. Thanks for the feed back. It will be interesting to see what Greg has to add about the 3rd vertical addition. I sometimes look at my detection's with the red system and wonder whether a 3rd antenna would improve some areas from my base that may be slipping through the system because of a wider sector of detection the 2 antennas have to deal with, than would be with using 3 horizontal antennas.
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I also added the third H-Field antenna, but unlike others that used the "Delta" configuration, I have the 3rd one vertically mounted.
Greg H.
Ditto Dale, how do you find that vertical antenna and data being provided??
Jeff
The vertical ferrite was a shortened version of Don Froula's design. (due to awkward handling of the individual ferrite sections I couldn't make it full length)
It seems to work well.
I have the waveforms here: http://rogerscityweather.com/lightning-waveformFFT.php (http://rogerscityweather.com/lightning-waveformFFT.php)
Specifically, the waveforms are below. The vertical ferrite is the yellow trace.
(https://images.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/america/index.php?bo_graph&bo_station_id=1045&bo_size=4&t=1508596541)
For the shielding discussion, my original horizontal antennas are shielded with copper foil. I left the new vertical one unshielded as an experiment.
Greg H.
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Thanks for posting Greg, food for thought. :)
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My next question is led on from watching Greg's waveforms. That brilliant article =D> created here about adding e field probes for the red systems and the methods of alternate channel mapping etc. Is that still relevant with the blue system or is there some other system or method we need to undertake with e fields and system blue?????