Topic: WH57 sudden increase in false strikes

[broadstairs]

Over the past week or so I've noticed I am getting quite a lot of false strikes on my WH57. I've tried lowering the sensitivity which seems to make things worse. I checked the batteries but the voltage is fine and the battery reports as good when queried. Up until about 2 or 3 weeks ago all seemed fine and when I did get strikes reported I could see them on Blitzortung. Today I've had 12 strikes after lowering the sensitivity to it lowest, the sensor is in the same place it has always been. Only new thing electrical in the house is my new full fibre modem which also has my digital phone service on it with digital phones which are I believe connected using DECT and not IP, the modem is about 8 feet from the sensor.

Anyone any ideas please?

Stuart

[Rover1822]

I wonder if someone else nearby received a holiday gift, that somehow triggers the sensor. Yeah , I know, terribly helpful.

I was just thinking of the timing. I have yet to find anything to falsely trigger mine, but I'm sure something exists that will.

Are the strikes random in timing?

[broadstairs]

Yes random timings, just had another at 16:56! Showing 14.9 miles. They always seem to show at quite a distance, never very close by.

Stuart

[Daali]

I'm with Rover1822.  Some new electronic feedback is hitting the sensor.  I had to remove a WH57 from my friend's river house.  Even on the lowest sensitivity, I could not get far enough away from electronics.  I think either a nearby freezer or heat pump kept triggering it(my known good wh57and his new wh57).

[broadstairs]

I have to suspect my new fibre modem with digital phones, I only went full fibre on 15th December. I'll try moving it elsewhere not within a8 feet of the modem.

Stuart

[broadstairs]

So the first thing I did was to remove the batteries and then set the dip switches to default, then replaced batteries. So far now 12+ hours with no false strikes! Lets hope I've not jinxed it by saying that!

Stuart

[watsonm]

I have a wh31L which has been running for about a year with minimal false strikes but recently the false strikes have increased.  While comparing to Blitzortung.org there are usually strikes about but definitely too far away for the WH31L to pick up.  I wondered if the unit needs an occasional power on reset to "recalibrate" itself.

[Platokidd]

I have an old AW wh31L that works well inside on indoor / med / long settings.
Recently I purchased an Ecowitt wh57 for another location.(I run 3 pws at different locations)

Thought I would test the new ecowitt wh57 at same location with the wh31L.. No matter what setting I used outside I got false reads outside.
Inside I matched the setting (indoor med long) of the AW31L and still nojoy (false strikes). Then indoors I set it to outdoor low / short range and every other possible setting. Just didn't work good enough for me.
Missing too many strikes or too many false reads. so I gave up and returned it to Amazon.

Thus, these new lighting sensors are too sensitive, or the tolerance is too wide from one to the other.
Still running the aw wh31L just fine.


 

[alanb]

When I first got my Ambient WH31L I was getting 1 or 2 false positives per day with the default switch settings. I changed the switches to the medium sensitivity and it was good for over a year. But all of a sudden it again started showing 1 or 2 false positives each day. I have it installed outside about 30 or 40 feet from a neighbor's large utility shed. I suspected the furnace, a compressor or some other electric device in the shed was causing the false positives so I moved the WH31L to another spot in my back yard about 100 feet from its original location. Sure enough, the false positives have mostly stopped (still get an occasional one every few days).

Just as a reminder to those changing switch settings on a WH57 or Wh31L, you need to reset the device by removing the batteries, then reinstalling them after changing the switches. If you just change switch settings with the batteries installed, the change doesn't take. It is something I learned the hard way.

[zoomx]

I have one or two false reading in only one of the two WH57 that I have in two different position.
The noise came from a room but I was not able to identify, I believe that is the turning on of a led lamp.
I am sure because when there was none in the house for days there was not any false reading and there was a false reading at 03 (3 AM) when we wake up to go to the airport, then no nois until return home.
This light make noise once a day but turning all light on and off male no noise. So there is a particular circumstance to have noise from this light.

[Rover1822]

Is it an LED?

I know I can trigger with some older cheaper, LED PAR lights, As I also have VHF antennas , I can see them trash just about anything.

I have replaced those lights, not so much because of the lightning detection, but for the interference on my VHF radios

[olicat]

Hi!

I never had a false strike until I recently had the idea of mounting another WH32-EP directly in the solar radiation shield of the WH57 hanging on the mast.
Right next to the WH57, the WH32-EP interfered (about 15 times per day) with the correct lightning detection.
Since the WH57 is sitting alone in the shield again, there are no more false detections.

Notice:
Not only known or obvious sources can interfere with the WH57. Even another sensor right next to it, like the WH32-EP in my case.

Oliver

[Platokidd]

Alanb- Confirmed, batteries removed before changing settings. Learn this the hard way years ago.

Olicat- Confirmed. The outside location was just above (1 foot) the WH32-ep. Had about 15 false reads strikes a day in this location.

The inside locations was on opposite sides of the house. Also reversed locations of both sensors with same results.
I also did tried both sensors next to each other for a very short period of time. Then thought that may be an issue as well.
The new sensor just seems to be way too sensitive to false reads or too choked off reading only half as many strikes.

[zoomx]

Not only known or obvious sources can interfere with the WH57. Even another sensor right next to it, like the WH32-EP in my case.

Oliver

My WH57 is close to a WH32, three WH31 and another sensor. But they do not interfere since when the house is empty I don't have any interference.
Radio interference is an ugly beast!
The strange for me is that I have only one false lightning a day so it is difficult to find the guilty.

[Wxbeginner]

Alanb- Confirmed, batteries removed before changing settings. Learn this the hard way years ago.

Olicat- Confirmed. The outside location was just above (1 foot) the WH32-ep. Had about 15 false reads strikes a day in this location.

The inside locations was on opposite sides of the house. Also reversed locations of both sensors with same results.
I also did tried both sensors next to each other for a very short period of time. Then thought that may be an issue as well.
The new sensor just seems to be way too sensitive to false reads or too choked off reading only half as many strikes.

Do you know of any place that sells the old - not as sensitive version? I have 2 57's both new as of 2 weeks ago and both give false readings everyday. The one place I have not tried is inside my house , which I am about to try but too hopeful after reading this thread.  Thanks!