Thinking of adding a StormTracker to the weather station. I need the pros and cons. What software to use.
Mark
StormTracker
Tinkerer’s dream (or nightmare). Your results will depend a lot on your local surroundings.
Software
There are basically two choices, Lightning/2000 and Nexstorm. I have 2 StormTracker systems and run both. From a technical perspective I find Lightning/2000 superior to Nexstorm. Lightning/2000 is much easier to calibrate than Nexstorm. I also find ranging much more stable with L2K. If you are looking for eye candy and web publishing features go with Nexstorm. Nexstorm also has StrikeStar which is a good way to get visitors to your website. The background map and email alerts are included with L2k. They are extras with Nexstorm. Support for both products is excellent.
If you just want to plot lightning strikes on a map consider GRLevel3 and an inexpensive USPLN data feed from Allison House.
How is L24 able to detect stroms this far away??
9 storms detected
distant (800-1000 mi.) severe t-storm to the West (1.27 strokes/min/degree, energy = 92%, severity = 173, CG% = 77%)
distant (384-545 mi.) strong t-storm to the East-Southeast (0.93 strokes/min/degree, energy = 95%, severity = 66, CG% = 40%)
distant (983-1183 mi.) strong t-storm to the East (0.60 strokes/min/degree, energy = 94%, severity = 97, CG% = 48%)
distant (379-538 mi.) thunderstorm to the West (0.54 strokes/min/degree, energy = 92%, severity = 37, CG% = 69%)
distant (937-1129 mi.) strong t-storm to the South-Southwest (0.43 strokes/min/degree, energy = 85%, severity = 66, CG% = 9%)
distant (1821-2021 mi.) severe t-storm to the South-Southeast (0.36 strokes/min/degree, energy = 103%, severity = 100, CG% = 8%)
distant (907-1107 mi.) thunderstorm to the South-Southwest (0.25 strokes/min/degree, energy = 94%, severity = 38, CG% = 21%)
distant (903-1102 mi.) thundershower to the South-Southwest (0.13 strokes/min/degree, energy = 107%, severity = 20, CG% = 40%)
distant (562-736 mi.) thundershower to the East (0.10 strokes/min/degree, energy = 93%, severity = 10, CG% = 33%)
I take it that StormTracker is the hardware to have??
Mark
Tune an AM radio to the bottom of the dial and listen between stations. Those static crashes are lightning strokes. Every flash is a broadband RF transmitter. Those are what the Boltek cards listen to, and being of fairly long wavelength, they tend to follow the curve of the earth. On nights when propagation is good, you can hear AM radio stations from the other side of the country. Same with lightning.
But Boltec says that their hardware can detect out to 300 miles???
distant (1821-2021 mi.) severe t-storm to the South-Southeast (0.36 strokes/min/degree, energy = 103%, severity = 100, CG% = 8%)
Mark
The electromagnetic pulse created by a lightning stroke can travel huge distances in the earth/ionosphere VLF conduit.
Ranging is based on received signal strength. Lightning detection software uses some sophisticated algorithms and user calibration to make a guess as to how far a stroke is from the receiver. Lightning strokes vary quite a bit in strength which makes ranging even more difficult. Typically the closer the storm and/or the greater the number of strokes the better the accuracy.
Boltek rates the range of the StormTracker at around 300 miles. Personally I have found that 250-300 miles is realistic for my setup. The StormTracker hears signals from much farther away and the software tries to range them but ranging is at best a wild a$$ guess. The direction will be correct but the range is almost always wrong.
I too am interested in lightning data. Since the allison house is just a feed for the raw data, can you display the lightning data from them on a map without radar data or can it only be overlayed on the radar data?
You can display just the radar or lightning or both at the same time with GRLevel3. Also, there are a bunch of other non-radar data streams that are included in the Allison feed. The ones I use most frequently are USPLN, SPC watches and warnings and METAR data. I highly recommend GRLevel3 and Allison House even if you have a StormTracker.
It’s all about the antenna, the higher the better. I register strikes from well over 600 miles away. Unless you are surrounded by hills I think the 300 mile range is easily attainable.
I have two antennas one mounted 18’ high and the other mounted 30’ high. I have not been able to detect a significant difference in performance between them with either L2K or Nexstorm within the rated 300 mile range of the StormTracker. I’m not interested in lightning DX so I haven’t compared them beyond 300 miles.
The most important thing about mounting is getting the antenna above surrounding obstructions and away from noise sources like computers and light dimmers.
I asked several times if I had a location that would work with StromTracker. Each time they said yes. I guess time will tell.
Mark
It sounds like there is plenty of room to locate the antenna away from the lights and ridge vent.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Burgus
To: Robert Boll
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 3:35 PM
Subject: Re: StormTracker
There is 6’ of standing room in the attic. Aluminum ridge vent across the top and 8’ florescent lights under the attic floor.
Will this be a problem?
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Boll
To: Mark Burgus
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: StormTracker
Hello Mark,
The distance you need to be away from metal objects depends on the size of the object and whether the metal is in the line of site of the antenna. From ther sounds of your situation 4 or 5 feet should be plenty of separation but more is better.
Best regards,
Robert Boll
Boltek Corp
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Burgus
To: Robert Boll
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: StormTracker
How far away??
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Boll
To: markburgus@
Cc: Bev Gieseler
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: StormTracker
Hello Mark,
You should be fine mounting the antenna in your attic provided your roof is wood construction with asphault shingles (not a steel roof). Keep the antenna away from the aluminum vent and any other metal or electrical wiring.
Best regards,
Robert Boll
Boltek Corp
From: Mark Burgus
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2007 9:16 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: StormTracker
My shop is a 50x35fot building. The lighting is all 8’ florescent lights (10 sets of 2). The ceiling is 10.5 foot high. There is a ridge vent made of aluminum. I would place the detector antenna in the attic.
My question is, will I have problems with this setup? I do not want to find out later that I have a reduced detection range.
Mark
Got it today. Any one know a map maker to create a map for me??
Mark
What software are you going to use? If the stock Boltek software, I really recommend NexStorm or L2K. Either one is far superior to the Boltek SW. AFAIK, none of the map formats are compatible. If NexStorm, I recommend that you pay Relko make you a map. I’ve run L2K in the past, but I forget how the maps are handled.
The StormTracker software is useful for system testing only. Don’t waste your money on a Boltek map. I agree with sloweather. If you get Nexstorm buy the map from Astrogenic. A nice map centered on your specified location is included in the L2K package.
I’m not sure what software I am going to run yet. Both NexStorm and L2K look good. But I have not researched them very well yet. They both look like they cost around the same.
Mark
I did setup the stromtracker. My lights do not seem to bother them. I had a bad feeling that they would.
Mark
Well StormTracker got me into trouble with the local building inspector (didn’t even know we had one). He told me that the vent pipe could not extend beyond the ridge line. I tried to explain that I was a nut job installing a lightning detector. I don’t think he bought it. But he did get back into his car after giving me some really weird looks. Sort of back into his car. In fact he refused to even look at what I was doing. Tried to explain that the bathroom was at the other end of the shop. That the pipe didn’t even go through the roof. But you can guess how that went. Tried bribing him with a snicker and a coke. #-o So, back to the attic for now.
Mark
Mark, hope you don’t mind me butting into this thread.
I just got my StromTracker today and have downloaded the demo version of NexStorm. I’m wondering about mounting the antenna.
I plan to mount it on a wall in my computer room. My house has open ceilings on the second floor so I have a room open to the roof making it about 30 feet high. The ‘north’ wall is about 10 degrees from true North.
The info with the StormTracker says to mount the front of the antenna North. Looking at the NexStrom software there is a place to set Antenna alignment. So… can I put it on the ‘north’ wall and make adjusts within the software to make up the difference?
–Dave
Yes Dave you can make adjustments for the alignment of the antenna from the software. But it’s always best to make up the difference in the mounting and make sure there is no metal parts around the antenna.
Peter
I talked to NexStorm today. He said that the demo is outdated and if I was to be ordering the full version I should skip loading it.
Mark