Scientific American magazine today is a mere shadow of its former self,
due mainly to a new publisher imported from Popular Science magazine.
There is no longer an Amateur Scientist article in each issue.
Amen to that! It's also turned from reporting to preaching-political!
I always wanted
On Fri, Jun 27, 2014 at 11:34 PM, DaveH i...@blackmountainforge.com wrote:
I also searched for Lightning and found nothing about detecting nearby
strikes, only about protection. Searched from around 1980 back through
1940.
There are a number of products on the market that make use of
QST lightning radar. But what a mess you get with google and every
lightning and radar TV station in the US.
Oh well if your replacing TVs every few years whats a few more opamps?
Now how does a poor man build something for what started this whole thread?
Time for me to hop off this thread.
There is actually a lot of information on lightening observation. If you
have access to a university library. Some public libraries have on-line
databases you can search too. Google is not so good at this as most of
the papers are in journals where you need a subscription, or more likely a
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
C. L. Stong wrote The Amateur Scientist articles in
Scientific American
magazine for many years, throughout the 1940s - 1960s and
later period.
As a child, I read these avidly
- Original Message -
From: Brian Lloyd br...@lloyd.com
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
time-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2014 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
On Fri, Jun 27, 2014 at 11:34 PM, DaveH i...@blackmountainforge.com
Back on the topic of lightening,
a destructive side of lightening can occur with between-cloud strikes.
Beneath a cloud with a hefty charge on it there is a counter charge, a
reflection,
on the earths surface. This will have the same amount of charge but in inverse
polarity.
When the charge in
namic...@gmail.com said:
Fibre optic would seem to be the answer for protection.
Assuming I use fibers for the data, how do I safely get power to the other
end?
--
These are my opinions. I hate spam.
___
time-nuts mailing list --
Use a local solar cell and battery power supply.
If it is self contained it should not attract lightning.
Cheers,
Neville Michie
On 29/06/2014, at 1:13 PM, Hal Murray wrote:
namic...@gmail.com said:
Fibre optic would seem to be the answer for protection.
Assuming I use fibers for the
.
Dave
-Original Message-
From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com
[mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Hal Murray
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2014 20:14
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
Cc: hmur...@megapathdsl.net
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS
On Sat, Jun 28, 2014 at 10:13 PM, Hal Murray hmur...@megapathdsl.net
wrote:
namic...@gmail.com said:
Fibre optic would seem to be the answer for protection.
Assuming I use fibers for the data, how do I safely get power to the other
end?
I recommend a kite, wet string, and a Leyden jar.
I have never seen an article using exotic special tubes. I understand that
benefit but common tubes do a fine job. I still believe it was a QST
article. Maybe 73 magazine. It was a long time ago. When I started using
the 12AU7s again for the vlf pre-amp they were $1 or so 7 years ago. Now
Let's see - lightning is basically a powerful spark. How about a
home-made Marconi coherer?
You don't have to go back in time to get one, and the audiophools
haven't found a use for it.
Bill Hawkins
-Original Message-
From: paul swed
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2014 8:10 AM
How to make a
@febo.com
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2014 8:10 AM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
I have never seen an article using exotic special tubes. I understand that
benefit but common tubes do a fine job. I still believe it was a QST
article. Maybe 73 magazine. It was a long time ago. When
: Max Robinson m...@maxsmusicplace.com
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement time-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2014 11:14 AM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
I think the QST article being referred to in this thread is one that I
remember rather
On Fri, Jun 27, 2014 at 6:10 AM, paul swed paulsw...@gmail.com wrote:
I have never seen an article using exotic special tubes. I understand that
benefit but common tubes do a fine job. I still believe it was a QST
article. Maybe 73 magazine. It was a long time ago. When I started using
the
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
I think the QST article being referred to in this thread is one that I
remember rather clearly. I kept the issue for a long time but it got away
from me somewhere along the line. It was a lightening direction finder
using a display much like
When currents are discharged into the earth (by lightning or power line
faults), there is a phenomenon known as Ground Potential Rise. That is,
as currents flow omni-directionally (earth is a giant resister, so current
flows in many directions like a huge parallel circuit), the point nearest
the
I am not too concerned about a direct hit as the antenna would be under the
roof, and I have not had a direct hit to the house (yet) in 22 years but I am
concerned about a close hit that could still generate hundreds of volts. I
regularly (like every year or two, yes, it is getting old) replace
swed
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2014 10:42
To: Bob Stewart; Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
It was QST and Max is right. I built it. There was a e-field
antenna for
amplitude and the crossed antennas the XY access. I
C. L. Stong wrote The Amateur Scientist articles in Scientific American
magazine for many years, throughout the 1940s - 1960s and later period.
As a child, I read these avidly and built many of the things he
described. I did not know he was a ham!
All The Amateur Scientist articles are
email to
funwithwood-subscr...@yahoogroups.com
- Original Message -
From: Neville Michie namic...@gmail.com
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
time-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
Is anyone
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
Is anyone using a field mill?
I have always been going to make one.
It consists of a horizontal metal plane with a conducting button on the
surface
which is insulated from the ground plane
and frequency measurement; Didier Juges
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
In message
16957e54-f6d5-4c0a-9068-6f0c772d2...@email.android.com, Didier Jug
es writes:
I think it would be perfectly appropriate to design an LF amplifier
with 12AU7s considering the high signal
On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 9:08 PM, DaveH i...@blackmountainforge.com wrote:
The tube was probably the FP-54
http://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/141/f/FP54.pdf
No luck on finding the article - it is not in the Handbook of Projects for
the Amateur Scientist by C.L. Stong
This one is/was run by the Neveda Test Site. I don't know if NOAA took
it over. When you get strikes, it give the lat/lon.
http://www.sord.nv.doe.gov/Lightning.php?Location=SouthwestLtime=30
At the moment, all is quiet on the western front.
However, I have to say that near real time website is
I have been watching the blitzortung system in the US for a few days now
and really like the clean and simple display. Very nicely done.
Also downloaded the information package.
Oddly it does not use any 12AU7s in the design.
Regards
Paul
WB8TSL
On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 2:24 AM, nuts
:35 PM
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
I am seriously considering involved as I am a bit of a weather nut too.
I suspect this is quite common. You don't have to get into precise time very
deep before you realize
I think it would be perfectly appropriate to design an LF amplifier with 12AU7s
considering the high signal levels when the storm does get close.
I have been thinking of building a system myself since I already have an
STMicro Discovery board and several GPS receivers I could use.
One
In message 16957e54-f6d5-4c0a-9068-6f0c772d2...@email.android.com, Didier Jug
es writes:
I think it would be perfectly appropriate to design an LF amplifier
with 12AU7s considering the high signal levels when the storm does
get close.
Somewhere, sometime, I saw an homebrew article for a
I am currently using a 12AX7 as a ELF preamp and have for years.
A note in the coldest part of winter preheat the tube low filament voltage.
They tend to fracture.
It sits 200 ft from the house as far away in the woods as possible.
That said and back to the thread. At these frequencies tubes do
On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 1:24 PM, Didier Juges shali...@gmail.com wrote:
One potential problem is that the preamps obviously must remain connected
to the antennas when the storm gets close, while my ham radio gear is
normally disconnected when not in use. I have had so much lightning damage
The Boonton (later HP) model 260A Q meter used such a tube for a 100
megohm VTVM.
The tube was specially made for Boonton as the 535-A.
There are also references to the 1659/535-A.
If you search for it, use Boonton 535-A to avoid the Tektronix 535
scope.
The Q meter manual has a picture of it.
A couple of other things about dealing with lightning:
There is a cone of protection starting at the highest grounded point
around for about 100 feet.
These were developed to protect explosives bunkers from direct hits.
The angle of the cone (between a vertical line to the tip and the edge
of the
On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 4:42 PM, paul swed paulsw...@gmail.com wrote:
I am currently using a 12AX7 as a ELF preamp and have for years.
A note in the coldest part of winter preheat the tube low filament voltage.
They tend to fracture.
It sits 200 ft from the house as far away in the woods as
As I recall, the Boonton 535A isn't specially made at all,
but rather a selected 2A6 triode/twin diode. The tube is
selected for having an especially clean vacuum, and being
capable of running with a really high grid leak resistor (100M).
-Chuck Harris
Bill Hawkins wrote:
A couple of other
Charley Wenzel made it very safe: here is
http://www.techlib.com/electronics/lightning.html,
I used cross-correlation to identify the right electrical noise
Alex
On 6/25/2014 8:22 PM, Brian Lloyd wrote:
On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 4:42 PM, paul swed paulsw...@gmail.com wrote:
I am currently using
Lightning risetimes are slow enough that back-to-back zener diode limiters can
protect the input circuitry for a 1-meter probe. Nothing will stop a direct
strike, even a 12ax7 :-). A series resistor on the input helps. Actually, a
well-designed active probe antenna, even (shudder) one made by MFJ
Is anyone using a field mill?
I have always been going to make one.
It consists of a horizontal metal plane with a conducting button on the surface
which is insulated from the ground plane.
A metallic maltese cross driven by a motor alternately covers and uncovers the
electrode
exposing/not
A friend pointed me to this site:
US http://www.blitzortung.org/Webpages/index.php?lang=enpage_0=30
EU http://www.blitzortung.org/Webpages/index.php?lang=en
This is a wonderful out-of-the-box project, with echoes of Loran-C and GPS
triangulation. It's also a clever combination of home-brew
-
From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf
Of Tom Van Baak
Sent: June-24-14 12:52 PM
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
Subject: [time-nuts] Loran, GPS, Lightning, Timing
A friend pointed me to this site:
US http://www.blitzortung.org
In message 06013AA10880459380352E3FB29C4B5C@pc52, Tom Van Baak writes:
2) Can you imagine applying this entire process in reverse. That
is, instead of using GPS to timetag lightning strikes, use lightning
strikes to synchronize a global network of local clocks.
The first input you need is the
The first input you need is the exact longitude/latitude of the
lightning bolt.
The easiest way to do that is with a set of GPS synchronized receivers,
nd we're back to sqare one!
That's true for ultimate accuracy. But notice how each strike is seen by dozens
of observers and each
as, ahem, one of the early experimenters of lightning detection, gotta tell
ya, the return stroke risetime is on the order of 1 us. Also, the very
beginning of the waveform, that is the first part of the spike, is connected
with the beginning of the breakdown, hence the location on the ground.
I am seriously considering involved as I am a bit of a weather nut too.
I suspect this is quite common. You don't have to get into precise time very
deep before you realize that all your timing gear is just pile of environmental
sensors in disguise. Before time-nuts began, the first timing guy
Oh man does this bring back memories of 12au7s and loop antennas pre
internet 1970 as I recall. A QST magazine article. I built it and it used a
crt for readout.
There wasn't really a way back then to share the data.
But will say this is quite a nice setup.
Regards
Paul
WB8TSL
On Tue, Jun 24,
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