[time-nuts] Lightning Strike Site

Jim Lux jimlux at earthlink.net
Mon Sep 9 16:11:33 UTC 2013


On 9/9/13 8:36 AM, Bob Smither wrote:
> On 09/09/2013 07:59 AM, J. Forster wrote:
>> FYI:
>>
>> <http://thunderstorm.vaisala.com/explorer.html>
>>

>>
> Here is another one:
>
>    http://www.strikestarus.com/
>


That uses an ad-hoc network of Boltek detectors, which work ok.  I had 
one in 1999-2000 at work.. although as I recall, they do position by 
using direction of arrival and have some scheme for turning "field 
intensity" into "distance to stroke".

The NLDN uses time difference of arrival at multiple stations to come up 
with a position, and then, knowing the distance, they can turn "received 
field" into "stroke current".


If I were doing scientific research, or had a need for "validated" 
lightning data, the NLDN (operated by Vaisala for the government) would 
be my choice.

There's an even more sophisticated system for smaller areas (around 
Huntsville, for example) that works at 80 MHz and can map the individual 
segments of the lightning stroke.  They definitely use GPS 
synchronization and time difference of arrival at multiple receiver 
sites.  There are some truly awesome animations of data from this system 
that show things like cloud to cloud lightning as it develops, as well 
as more conventional cloud/ground strokes.






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