RE: NWS Doppler RADAR

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com>


There are two types of lightning detection systems.  The most common
type is the NLDN system which uses both magnetic direction finding and
time of arrival to locate cloud to ground lightning.  The detection
efficiency is approximately 80% and the polarity of each flash can be
determined as well.  This system is most widely used in the United
States.

The LDAR system is less common but more accurate and can not only
measure cloud to ground lightning, but detect cloud-to-cloud, and
cloud-to-air lightning as well.  This system uses an array of antennas
(typically receiving around 50-70MHz) and can pinpoint discharges of
lightning in real time in a 3D format. (X,Y,Z)

I seriously doubt that any tesla coil (with the exception of the
behometh at Lighting on Demand in Europe at close range to the detection
antennas etc...) would be able to register a lightning strike or
similar.

Lightning is many orders of magnitude more powerful than even the most
powerful tesla coils.

Kind of like setting a small firecracker off and trying to register a
shockwave on a seismograph some miles away.

The Captain



 > My associate (nicknamed "Shockwave" ??) has an interesting question.
 > The doppler RADAR displays on TV, now show lightning strike positions
 > (in more or less realtime) embedded in the false color RADAR displays.
 >
 > What he asked, was how big a coil would he have to build for
 > it to register
 > lightning strikes on "The Weather Channel"?
 >
 > My feeling is that lightning strike positions, are probably
 > triangulated
 > from VLF/ULF radio receivers and not from RADAR at all, (although I
 > suppose supersonic, superheated, plasma would have a unique and
 > detectable doppler frequency shift).
 >
 > Anybody have experience with this equipment?
 >
 >                     Jimbo
 >
 >
 >