Topic: E-Field working, but no signals showing on servers

[dfroula]

Well, my new e-field setup seems to be working locally fine.

However, I am seeing NO signals appearing on blitzortung.org nor lightningmaps.org since I added the second amp. My status page shows signals are being sent.

Weird. I do have the antenna type set correctly and sending of all channels is enabled at the controller - still no signals on the server side, although the H-field and E-field amps are happily detecting strikes.

Any thoughts?

Best,

Don
WD9DMP

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

  Give your probe some air, big boy...
No doubt you've burned up your controller.
Check for probe polarity... inserting it backwards will short out the system.
Uninstall Direct TV.
H field and E field do not exist in the same plane at the same time.
You using a G connector instead of F?
Your coaxial has been crushed, and is now axial.
R1 is shorted or C2 has gone inductive.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

Check your email....
Mike

[dfroula]

Tobi mentioned that the issue might be fragmented IP packets. Apparently enabling more than two channels exceeds the 1500 MTU of the controller, forcing the UDP packets carrying the strike info to be fragmented.

Tobi's advice was spot-on!

I left just the e-field amp connected and enabled sending for only one of the three channels at a time. The signals got through to the servers fine, as shown on the Blitzortung site "Services" tab in the "Last Signal" display. Two channels worked as well. Three did not.

I discovered my router has a "Block Fragmented IP Packets" option that was enabled in the advanced firewall features menu. I disabled that, and data is now flowing fine from all 5 channels with both amps connected.

Best regards,

Don
WD9DMP

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

 

[dfroula]

Think we should should add these as a sticky!

I tried reversing the wire probe, changed the satellite dish from right to left circular polarization, turned the amp board on its side to place e-field in same plane as h-field signals, installed a G to F connector adapter, applied anti-inductive pulses to C2 with my bulk tape eraser and reversed R1. I applied a stream of oxygen from a tank I have directly to the preamp to give it some air - still turned out to be the router setting! 

Don

Give your probe some air, big boy...
No doubt you've burned up your controller.
Check for probe polarity... inserting it backwards will short out the system.
Uninstall Direct TV.
H field and E field do not exist in the same plane at the same time.
You using a G connector instead of F?
Your coaxial has been crushed, and is now axial.
R1 is shorted or C2 has gone inductive.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

Well, keep your fingers out of the router when your' messing with it, make sure the cutter guard is working on your planer while working with it also, or you'll wind up with shorted fingers, as I do. Shorted fingers are much worse than shorted resistive components. BTW... how did reversing R1 remove it's low impedance component?
Shorted fingers also interfere with piano playing and other hobbies.

[JonathanW]

Oh, yeah, this should be a stickied thread.

[W3DRM]

Perhaps we should ask the question "what kind of router do you have?". I'm about to go live with my E-Field kit and am curious as to what I need to look for, as far router settings go.

I started the build cycle of my E-Field kit (it's Father's Day, and I got to choose what I wanted to do...  ). I still have a couple components to mount but otherwise am done with the build. All seemed to go nicely (following my own instructions!). I did find a couple things that need to be changed in the documentation and will get them finished tomorrow (Monday).

[dfroula]

My router is a Motorola/Arris SBG6580. It's a combination DOCSIS 3 cable modem/router/wifi access point.

Don
WD9DMP