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Author Topic: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector  (Read 41548 times)

Offline NJQA

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2019, 0944 UTC »
I bought a couple of these too.  I was thinking about how I might use one of them to automatically ground the antenna input on my KiwiSDR receiver...
« Last Edit: August 03, 2019, 0946 UTC by NJQA »

Offline Rob.

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #16 on: August 03, 2019, 1209 UTC »
A nice circuit description of the chip inside the detector:
https://www.digikey.com/en/articles/techzone/2013/mar/incoming-storm-a-lightning-detector-from-ams

Some interesting discussions, including antenna directionality:
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=30627.0
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #17 on: August 09, 2019, 0119 UTC »
You can watch for it coming on a vintage TV switched to channel two or three. If the power goes out you can look out the window as the Dood suggested.

I've seen more "heat lightning" this year than I have in forty years. That stuff can be a couple of hundred miles away, generated by storm fronts you'll never see locally.

Offline JimIO

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #18 on: August 09, 2019, 0331 UTC »
I remember it being a rare thing when it got so dark in the middle of the day that the street lights turned on. Seems like it's happening once or twice a week this summer.

Offline Josh

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #19 on: August 09, 2019, 1500 UTC »
"The AS3935 chip only contains an omnidirectional antenna, so no triangulation.  It also bears mentioning that the AS3935 was *not* intended to be used as a scientific instrument, but rather as a personal safety add-on in smart phones and stuff to alert the  owner to the threat of an approaching storm.  It also seems to be extremely sensitive to antenna orientation, so just using it as a personal safety device is sketchy. "

lolwut

Also, that chip is pretty neat, I want one. Shame the weather stations for home use don't have this built in.
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Offline Rob.

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #20 on: August 09, 2019, 2127 UTC »
Some weather stations have a lightning detector add on. Not sure how well that works.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2019, 1359 UTC by Σ »
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #21 on: August 10, 2019, 1156 UTC »
Pretty good. They're usually late 60's/early 70's black and white GE portable TV's tuned to Channel 2 or 3.

Offline JimIO

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Re: AcuRite 02020 Portable Lightning Detector
« Reply #22 on: August 10, 2019, 1640 UTC »
Good old General Electric. Compactrons and nuclear power on the cheap!    :D