Re: Lightning Storm

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Mike" <induction@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Gary,
              The neon light is a good indicator but then again if 
you are just getting it up there without warning it could get nailed. 
Using an AM broadcast radio on an empty frequency hears static 
crashes pretty well and with that system you get to listen before you 
fly a wire up as a potential target. On your way to the field where 
you fly you can also listen on your AM car radio, empty frequency 
with volume turned up.
You can make a long range detector , google Scumann cavity receiver, 
lots of hits, here is one.
http://cosmos.ssol.iastate.edu/isgc/RES_INF/VRR2003/Kruger-SEED.pdf
Mike

----- Original Message ----- From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 11:27 PM
Subject: Lightning Storm


> Original poster: gary350@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Someone once posted some information for a circuit that could be 
> used to detect an electrical charge.  I beleive it was used to 
> detect the charge on the TC but it was a long time ago so I really 
> don't remember.   Someone suggested it might be used to detect the 
> charge in the sky of a thunder storm to determine if it was about to 
> lightning.  Does anyone have this circuit?
>
> While flying my control line model airplane one day I got shocked 
> when the airplane was flying overhead.  Must have been some type of 
> static charge in the sky.   Wish I had something to detect the 
> charge in the sky before I fly my model airplane.
>
> Summer July 1970 Carbondale Illinois it was a very hot summer day no 
> clouds in the sky the temperature was close to 100 it had been hot 
> as $#@% all week.  About lunch time there was a small thunder I went 
> outside to see if there was a thunder storm coming but there was 
> nothing still no clouds in the sky anywhere.   Again there was 
> another small thunder but I could not see the lightning the sun was 
> too bright.   A few minutes later more thunder it was getting louder 
> and I could barely see the lightning. About 60 seconds later louder 
> thunder and lightning was getting brighter. After about 5 minutes 
> lightning was very easy to see and thunder was very loud.  Lightning 
> strikes were about 3 seconds apart one right after the other.  It 
> sounded like artillery that I saw on a WWII movie.  The lightning 
> storm was going strong for a good 5 minutes then started to fizzle 
> out and was over in about 15 minutes.   There were still no clouds 
> in the sky and the sun was still shinning.   It was totally amazing, 
> no wind, no rain, no clouds but we had a lightning storm from hell.
>
> Many years ago TV show NOVA did a show on heat lightning.
>
> I was talking to other people that fly control line model airplanes 
> and several people have stories of getting shocked by lightning most 
> were cloudy days or over cast days but no storms in the area.  One 
> person said lightning knocked him cold for 15 minutes.
>
> I did some experements and have been flying a kite on #24 copper 
> wire 200 ft long.  I have not detected any static charge with an NE2 
> neon light on sunny days.  It is very interesting to note the neon 
> light will light up if there is a thunder storm 20 miles 
> away.   Every time the NE2 flashes it must mean a lightning strike 
> in the thunder storm.  I do not fly the kite if it is cloudy or over 
> cast or any thunder storms in the near by area. Flying a control 
> line model airplane on 60 ft metal cables is not much different than 
> flying a kite on copper wire.
>
> I sure would hate to get zapped by lightning.
>
> Gary Weaver