Lightning

[rocketsocks]

I guess there may be some out there that may not know and are wonderin' what the radio trick is...so I guess we ought tell em.

...If you tune your radio to a AM band and place the dial so it is not picking up a station, you will hear static...your in the right spot. If there is electrical discharges in your area (this can be mile and miles and miles away) you will hear a POP, or click or ticks....this is the discharge bouncing off the ionosphere...I think, er somethin' like that...you can Google it.

have a nice day

[magneto]

I love the ADF, we were taught how to use it for instrument approaches and holding patterns. With the advent of gps, it's gotten to be obsolete and dive it requires some thought - most student pilots hated it.

Now there a inexpensive and really good lightning detection and display devices that use the same principle, like the Stormscope:

https://www.l-3avionics.com/products/stormscope/

You could install this on the ground as well. The range goes out to about 200 miles...

[rocketsocks]

Yeah - the smell of the air after a thunderstorm is invigorating - after the adrenalin rush dies down (and perhaps after a change of underwear).

I've always thought so too...good stuff.

[rocketsocks]

I love the ADF, we were taught how to use it for instrument approaches and holding patterns. With the advent of gps, it's gotten to be obsolete and dive it requires some thought - most student pilots hated it.

Now there a inexpensive and really good lightning detection and display devices that use the same principle, like the Stormscope:

https://www.l-3avionics.com/products/stormscope/

You could install this on the ground as well. The range goes out to about 200 miles...

Now that's interesting. I up loaded an app "Weather bug" that has a lightning strike indicator that layers over google maps...what I'm wondering is if it is accurate enough to put me in the area to be able to find fulgurites say on the beach??? headed to the beach in a few weeks and was gonna give it a shot should one hit near us.

[rocketsocks]

Now that's interesting. I up loaded an app "Weather bug" that has a lightning strike indicator that layers over google maps...what I'm wondering is if it is accurate enough to put me in the area to be able to find fulgurites say on the beach??? headed to the beach in a few weeks and was gonna give it a shot should one hit near us.

Toying with the idea of sending up a rocket, but I don't have one on the boards right now.

[magneto]

I forgot to mention Weather Bug. The Strike Finder feature is very useful as electrical activity always proceeds precip. RADAR only sees water - so it can lead you into trouble. It also attenuates, so really heavy rain shows up as a clear area, when the worst is actually right behind.

The "Spherics" devices like Strike Finder (and the Stormscope) uses show the storm clearly while it is building and is unaffected by heavy precip.

[rocketsocks]

I forgot to mention Weather Bug. The Strike Finder feature is very useful as electrical activity always proceeds precip. RADAR only sees water - so it can lead you into trouble. It also attenuates, so really heavy rain shows up as a clear area, when the worst is actually right behind.

The "Spherics" devices like Strike Finder (and the Stormscope) uses show the storm clearly while it is building and is unaffected by heavy precip.

ah....got cha, had to look up attenuates.

[rocketsocks]

Toying with the idea of sending up a rocket, but I don't have one on the boards right now.

looking at this further, anything but some pretty heavy duty wire with some big engines would be a half ars attempt.

[magneto]

I saw an experiment once where a largish model rock was fired into the base of a passing storm. The passage of the rocket - no wires or cables - would cause a leader to form and a strike to occur. Might be interesting to try - from a distance of course!

[magneto]

I saw an experiment once where a largish model rock was fired into the base of a passing storm. The passage of the rocket - no wires or cables - would cause a leader to form and a strike to occur. Might be interesting to try - from a distance of course!

"model rock" should be "model rocket".

[rocketsocks]

"model rock" should be "model rocket".

ugh, can't even shpell my own name right

[rocketsocks]

I saw an experiment once where a largish model rock was fired into the base of a passing storm. The passage of the rocket - no wires or cables - would cause a leader to form and a strike to occur. Might be interesting to try - from a distance of course!

oh yeah, that's definitely a remote fire deal.