General Weather/Earth Sciences Topics > Lightning
USPLN Sensor Request
WeatherHost:
New box received and installed. They sent me a message about 'constant' noise with e few spikes. I told them we were in the middle of a storm cluster. They said "Ah!'
I haven't heard back.
I learned long ago to rig up lights and antennas and such to be able to swing them down to the ground to work on. Still takes a ladder in some cases to pull a bolt or two and I hate ladders. This whole thing is inside 1 1/2 conduit with a Tee to split off the GPS dome. But two bolts and it swings down to the ground.
miraculon:
--- Quote ---Also, did you just leave the two meter antenna connected?
--- End quote ---
Yes, I am running it until the replacement arrives from TOA Systems. It seems to be working well.
Greg H.
miraculon:
--- Quote from: miraculon on June 27, 2022, 08:08:26 AM ---
--- Quote ---Also, did you just leave the two meter antenna connected?
--- End quote ---
Yes, I am running it until the replacement arrives from TOA Systems. It seems to be working well.
Greg H.
--- End quote ---
I haven't posted the saga of this antenna, but there were a couple of problems with it according to their Engineering Director.
The coax cable that they supply is characterized for group delay and must be used.
The two-meter antenna is too short even though it appeared to be incrementing the "stroke" counter. I found out that "stroke counts' don't equate to valid strikes. I think that it is roughly equivalent to the signal detected by the station prior to being "Valid" or "Used" by Blitzortung. I then tried the 40 meter "Hamtenna" that they supplied (mfg. by MFJ). This wouldn't fit in my rafters either.
Yesterday, I mounted the Hamtenna at the side of the garage on the outside pointing up and fully extended. I hope that they are happy with this since it's the best I can do. I found that I have vertigo, which is behind my balance issue of going up on the roof to service it.
I might see if they will send me another GPS antenna and coax and mount it along with a Blitzortung GPS down lower where I can access it from a ladder on the ground. Somewhat less fatal if I fall... ;-)
Greg H.
DaleReid:
Greg,
Thanks for the updates on your visits with the tech dept there at TOA.
The comfort level of most people in getting a blank grounded plug, attaching the ground to the terminal and then plugging that all into a 15 or 20 amp circuit would make something like their new install package seem so much better.
Fortunately, and I don't know why, I did make the green wire to lug come from a separate three prong plug when I did the install. I would have thought an earth ground would have been better, but so it seems, not.
I am still waiting to see if there is any movement to send me a new antenna, but no word yet and from the little candid interaction between the engineer and the tech, I am not keeping my hopes up too much. I won't stick a 2 meter antenna on the unit, based on your experience.
I guess that it shows the design philosophy were Blitz offers an incredible panel of tools for the site owner to monitor the quality of signal and all, while TOA does all the work at their site and then calls or emails when something seems less than optimal. I'm thinking they are oriented to a much broader audience and skill set.
I'm hoping that the Astrogenics group will get a whole bunch more sites in the upper midwest than they have now, to get some more strike data going.
My motto: "One can never have too many lightning sniffers..."
Dale
K9ELD
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