General Weather/Earth Sciences Topics > Lightning

Microsferics TOA network 2022

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Mapantz:
Just wondering how users are getting on with this?

I haven't bought one yet, but still considering it..

Does anyone have their own website showing any data?

Mapantz:
I've been monitoring https://microsferics.com as there's plenty of storms around the UK at the moment. One thing I have noticed, is that it shows a lot of false strikes in areas of no precipitation. It also misses a lot of strikes when comparing to the ATD lightning from the Met Office. That puts me off purchasing one.

JupiterJoe:

--- Quote from: Mapantz on August 15, 2022, 01:17:52 PM ---I've been monitoring https://microsferics.com as there's plenty of storms around the UK at the moment. One thing I have noticed, is that it shows a lot of false strikes in areas of no precipitation. It also misses a lot of strikes when comparing to the ATD lightning from the Met Office. That puts me off purchasing one.

--- End quote ---

So because this is a growing network, dead spots will be an issue until the network grows. Once areas fill in, dead spots will minimize.
As for false strikes, when you have less than 5-6 detectors picking up a particular strike, this can happen. On the map, click options, then choose plot 5 or 6 sensor toa’s. This will vastly increase the accuracy, however you will see less strikes, although it will be less false strikes.
Try to remember that since this is a growing network that needs more stations online for accuracy, that you should have a little patience until more sensors come online. I’ve been around since the beginning, and I live in an area with abundant lightning, but I was in a dead spot for years. Patience is hard, but it’s paying off. Now that more stations have come online, we’re doing pretty good, although not perfect, today.
I understand your reluctance, but it takes people like you and I, willing to make the jump to watch this grow into something special. Every new sensor that comes online improves the network.
I hope this helps.

DaleReid:
MaPantz:
I can only echo the words from JupiterJoe,
I have not had as much activity as I'd like, and the solution is more stations, especially in the Midwest in the USA.  I'm not sure how to get the word out, but hopefully weather enthusiasts will get on board.  The setup is really pretty easy!

When the Blitzortung project was getting underway there were very few stations here in the USA. One poor chap out in Hawai'i had a very low participation count, as you can imagine.   Even though there have been growing pains, and the hardware needs to be assembled (including some fine but easily enough done with patience soldering of a few components) the number of stations in that network has grown a lot, and now is over 300, I think, at last look.  The coverage for the USA is pretty good, but even so there will be a strike near me and I'll look at the map and nothing.  I know many strikes are just not sensed, submitted and then the central computers can do their things.  Also I think there are differences in cloud to ground vs. cloud to cloud and some are not possible to detect, or are ignored by design.

Like the old saying goes, a society (weather project) grows great when old men plant a tree (put up a station) which they  know they will never sit in the shade of (see the end result show lots of strikes.)

Even though I'm pretty old, I hope to feed data to both networks and make the hobby as a group or team effort have great participants.

My encouragement can only go so far, but there really is minimal work once you get the box installed, hooked up to the internet (I put mine on an uninterruptable power supply and have had no problems) and the one sense antenna mounted.

Go for it, and maybe not in a few months, but over some time this will blossom!   Dale

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