WXforum.net
General Weather/Earth Sciences Topics => Lightning => Topic started by: W3DRM on July 23, 2013, 01:34:19 PM
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Last night, we had one of our more active lightning events here in northern Nevada. Beautiful lightning displays for several hours and then a very short-lived period of rain (10:28 to 10:41pm). During that 13 minute window we had lots of lightning as well as 0.04" of rain.
I looked at several lightning reporting PWS's (Saratoga-Weather & Tahoe Vista) but none of them were showing any lightning activity for this area. Since I know we had lots of lightning between 8pm and 12 midnight, why didn't any of the lightning sites show it?
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did blitzortung show it?
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did blitzortung show it?
Not that I can find. In fact, even in the Blitzortung archives, I can't find any lightning strikes in the western USA last night. Just doesn't make any sense to me.
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There's active lighting now showing over the Sierra and southern Nevada on my Boltek page, nothing showing on Blitzortung.
In looking at the Blitzortung station map, there is a station in Utah and Colorado, but none west of there.
Don, you and I should put up a couple of stations to start filling the western US. :)
(http://www.sloweather.com/blog/2013/130723lightning.jpg)
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Don,
Does this site cover you?
http://www.sord.nv.doe.gov/Lightning/Lightning-sord.htm
(http://www.sord.nv.doe.gov/products/lit/overview_1_two_hour.gif)
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did blitzortung show it?
The Utah station hasn't been on line for a long time.
The Colorado station comes and goes, I don't know why.
The San Antonio station (Gerry) is usually up, some maps show him as off-line but I see his strikes regularly.
We could really use some more stations out west.
Four are needed to calculate a location.
Here is the map of the last 72 hours for Blitzortung nationwide. You can see that the western US is not covered due to the sparseness of stations.
(http://images.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/america/index.php?map=usa&date=201307220000-4320)
Greg H
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Chris,
I live just east of Lake Tahoe (south of Reno/Carson City). The maps you show in your response mainly cover the Las Vegas/southern Nevada area. There is a lightning detector on the north shore of Lake Tahoe (Tahoe Vista). In fact, that is the site that helped to vote me in to the Southwestern Weather Network when it first got off the ground. At that time I had planned to install a Boltek lightning detector but just never was able to come up with necessary funds to do so. Perhaps now the Blitzortung detector may be the route I take in the near future. Can anyone tell me what the total cost of a full Blitzortung system costs, including shipping?
Also, I looked at Ken's lightning webpage and only the Southwestern Weather Network Lightning and Radar link shows any lightning activity at all. Both the Nextstorm & Stormvue pages on Ken's site show "No thunderstorms detected". It was the same way last night during our lightning activity here in Minden.
Not sure why some sites are detecting lightning and others are not. Guess I have a lot more to learn about the subject...
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From a recent email from Egon. I ordered my parts using this.
Complete Kit (amplifier 12.3 and controlle 10.3) = 187,25 Euro
* without the two 12cm ferrite rod antennas = -45 Euro
(you can build your own loop antennas)
* without USB power supply = -4 Euro
(you can use andy 5V USB power supply)
* without two 5 meter CAT connection cable = -5 Euro
(you can get CAT cables all over the world)
* without the USB connection cable = -1 Euro
* without the STM32F4DISCOVERY board = -15 Euro
(you can get this board from www.mouser.com world wide)
* without the external GPS antenna (SMA, 2 m) = -12 Euro
(you can use any SMA externel GPS antenna, may be that 2m are to short for your application)
Keep in mind that this does not include incidentals like enclosures and mounting hardware.
Here are a couple of other threads (earlier system than RED) showing my build as well as others.
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18666.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18666.0)
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18743.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18743.0)
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=19011.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=19011.0)
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=19193.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=19193.0)
Greg H
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I ordered my Red kit earlier in the week. Will be building antennas and such this weekend.
We should have some pretty decent coverage here on the west coast in a little while.
The other thing I read over on the USATOA forum, is that the data from any red systems is not yet being incorporated into the maps, but that they hope to get that situation rectified in the very near future.
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Also don't forget that the system needs a minimum of 3 (preferably more) stations to triangulate the strikes and rule out interference. All 3+ must detect it and report it for the Blitzortung system to show a strike on the map.
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Good news!
The data from the System Red units is now being used to calculate strikes on the North American "Live Maps" display. Check the small print on the top of the map!
I'm not sure about the other maps on the site or those at www.lightningmaps.org. It looks like progress is being made!
Don
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Excellent!
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Talk about lightning in the area. Just got knocked offline for over 4 hours due to a lightning strike in the area.
Now, I know in my heart that if I had a lightning detector, it wouldn't have made a difference, but it sure would have been nice to have had a brand new Blitztorung red system up and running so I could have tracked the strikes with it!
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There's active lighting now showing over the Sierra and southern Nevada on my Boltek page, nothing showing on Blitzortung.
In looking at the Blitzortung station map, there is a station in Utah and Colorado, but none west of there.
Don, you and I should put up a couple of stations to start filling the western US. :)
/...snip.../
Okay, Chris, I pulled the trigger and sent off my Blitzortung system RED order request today - now it's your turn... :twisted:
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And yet again, the last two afternoons we've had significant lightning activity but none of the systems are reporting it at all. We have at least four lightning caused fires on-going here in western Nevada and the South Lake Tahoe area yet none of the lightning detection systems are reporting anything! That just seems unbelievable considering the number of Boltek and other sensor sites within a couple hundred miles of our area. One is even located north of Lake Tahoe and it isn't reporting any strikes either.
Guess we really do need to flood this area and the west coast with Blitzortung systems. I'm still waiting for shipment confirmation from Egon on my system.
Here's an image of the storms in our area:
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Grrrr... my Boltek died before this storm. Guess I should do a Blitzortung build to replace it... I haven't done circuit board assembly since the early 70's -- it's all been software since then.
Best regards,
Ken
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Grrrr... my Boltek died before this storm. Guess I should do a Blitzortung build to replace it... I haven't done circuit board assembly since the early 70's -- it's all been software since then.
Best regards,
Ken
I see a trend here..... Many of us have not soldered, circuit boards, in many years. I guess we are all trying to relive some of our youth.... With the aid of magnifiers, cheaters and anything else that will allow us to see that tiny stuff. Enjoy!
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Ken et al,
You are NOT ALONE in the PCB assembly arena. Many of us, myself included, are getting out our old soldering irons and gadgets so we can participate in this new Blitzoryung adventure. Surface mount assembly is something I've never done - that era came long after I hung up my soldering iron. I can still remember the old gasoline soldering irons from the 50's and 50's. Gads they must have been dangerous...
I just received confirmation from Egon that my package is on its way and to expect it to be here in two to three weeks. In the meantime, I am building my panel loop antenna version 2). Hope to be done with it sometime tomorrow or Friday.
And yes, I've missed your lightning pages. We are in the middle of another thunder storm right now with lots of lightning all around but you wouldn't know it by the lightning pages which show essentially nothing for this immediate area. We've had lots of brush and mountain fires as a result too.
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I guess I'll do both.. I've ordered a replacement Boltek and will contact Egon to order a Blitzortung kit. Now, where is my PC board bench vice... I'll have to buy a soldering iron as my old one is long gone :)
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It looks like the new stations are helping the North America Blitzortung performance.
Look at the 8/24 72 hr map:
(http://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/america/index.php?map=usa&date=201308240000-4320)
vs. the 7/22 72 hr map. I know the weather is a big variable in this but prior to the recent stations being added, I never saw the AZ, MX and Western Canada strikes.
(http://images.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/america/index.php?map=usa&date=201307220000-4320)
It keeps getting better and better with the new stations. :grin:
Greg H.
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and we just get excited with a fraction of that amount of lightning strikes here!
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Okay, Chris, I pulled the trigger and sent off my Blitzortung system RED order request today - now it's your turn... :twisted:
Ok, Ok.... I get the hint! :) I'll see about getting one ordered up. Now to find the antenna building/shielding thread to post a question...
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Okay, Chris, I pulled the trigger and sent off my Blitzortung system RED order request today - now it's your turn... :twisted:
Ok, Ok.... I get the hint! :) I'll see about getting one ordered up. Now to find the antenna building/shielding thread to post a question...
Way to go Chris - =D> =D> =D>
It's just one more toy for you to play with and learn from. I'm finishing up my loop antenna (ver2 model) and then I'll begin on building the kit. I'm still waiting for a couple tool items to arrive before I begin with the kit. They should be here later this week or next then it will be full-speed ahead with the kit assembly. BTW, I am very impressed of the apparent quality of the the PCB's. They look very nice with clean lands and trace routing. A very professional looking kit. The German quality really shines!
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Don,
I love your updates on RED.... however, I'm starting to run out of saliva from drooling. :lol: My kit is somewhere between Germany and Cincinnati.
Please keep posting your progress and any hints or tricks you can pass on to those of us that are waiting to build. Heck, the quicker you guys get Ken up and running the sooner we'll get a script for it.
Joe
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For those of you who are waiting for your kits to arrive. As soon as they do arrive, I would suggest sending an email to Egon via the blitzortung (at)gmx.org and request your account so you can start reading the members-only forum and other features available on their website. You'll receive your account and the user id number that will be assigned to your feeds.
I don't think he will provide you with an account until you have confirmed that you have, in fact, received the kit.
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He sent me a login. However, it is not recognized when I try to login. Sent him an email asking when it will work, waiting to hear back. I guess, as you said, will not be active until after the kit arrives.
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My login also wasn't active until I'd confirmed that I had received the kit.
Also it may of already been mentioned (so apologies if it has) but there is a section on Wetter-Board that Egon and his team contribute to which has some interesting reading. http://www.wetter-board.de/board323-spezialthemen/board287-blitzentladung-aufzeichnung/board290-blitzortung/ (http://www.wetter-board.de/board323-spezialthemen/board287-blitzentladung-aufzeichnung/board290-blitzortung/).
For the German section I use the Chrome browser, set the board language to German at the top of the page and it then automatically translates it to a pigeon English that is fairly readable.
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My login also wasn't active until I'd confirmed that I had received the kit.
Also it may of already been mentioned (so apologies if it has) but there is a section on Wetter-Board that Egon and his team contribute to which has some interesting reading. http://www.wetter-board.de/board323-spezialthemen/board287-blitzentladung-aufzeichnung/board290-blitzortung/ (http://www.wetter-board.de/board323-spezialthemen/board287-blitzentladung-aufzeichnung/board290-blitzortung/).
For the German section I use the Chrome browser, set the board language to German at the top of the page and it then automatically translates it to a pigeon English that is fairly readable.
Account activation - Yes, it does appear that the account will not be activated until you acknowledge receipt of your kit AND then, you have to log-in into it using the temporary log-in credentials Egon sent to you. The password must be changed once you get logged-in. At least, that is how it worked for me.
I have looked at the wetter-board forum but found that most of the posts are related to the older GREEN systems. There is/was very little info on the new RED kit. Although that does seem to be changing as the new kits are apparently beginning to flow into the EU areas now.
The usatoa.com forum and this one appear to have the most up-to-date info on the RED systems.
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Thanks for the replies. Waiting patiently as I can.