Are there any hams on this sub who are involved with the lightning project "Blitzortu

[MosheTreutel]

My question is: are there any hams that are involved with this system to receive and report lightning strikes, anywhere in the world. Is the board difficult to populate, and does it require any surface mount components? What about the receiving antenna...I see a lot of variations and wonder which type has shown the best success. My QTH is only two miles west of the Wasatch Front...part of the Rocky Mountains. I'm at 4400 feet and the mountains go to about 7500 feet, so there is the possibility that I might not be able to "see" lightning to the east of me. Thanks for any advice or ideas. 73 de K7UV

[GeezerD]

1) Are there any...

I don't know, but I suspect so.

2) Is the board...

I received my Blue (basic) with all but one :-) of the surface mount components already installed, about a month ago.

3) What about the ...

20 turn 380 mm loop as described on the website is dead easy to make.That's got to count for something.

I4) I'm at 4400 feet...

From Wikipedia:

Because of their long wavelengths, VLF radio waves can diffract around large obstacles and so are not blocked by mountain ranges, and they can propagate as ground waves following the curvature of the Earth and so are not limited by the horizon.

[dupreezd]

1. Yes, there are a number of Hams on this forum that have a BO device.
   
2. There different H-Field antennas ranging from single turn to multi turn loops to ferrite core with different length and wire turns and a few experimental ones.
   
3. We are not detecting RF signals (radio waves) but magnetic waves produced by the lightning stroke. These are VLF and not obstructed by mountains, buildings etc. some operators have them in their basements where it works just fine. However, they need to be away from electrical interference.
   
4. The only exception is the E-Field which needs to be outside and as high as possible and also away from electrical noise. 
   
5. The Blue Mini does not have an E-Field channel and only 2 H-Field channels where as the original Blue have 3 H-Field and an E-Field.
   

This link will also explain the propagation of signals
https://forum.blitzortung.org/showthread...Ionosphere

[oppedahl]

My question is: are there any hams that are involved with this system to receive and report lightning strikes, anywhere in the world.

Goodness gracious.  Founder Egon Wanke is DL1YDB.  Look at the station list.  Station 1824 is N5CNB.  Station 2110 is W2PJ.  Station 2382 is K9BBN.  Station 1892 is VE7IPX.  Station 2811 is CU7BC.  Station 2818 is IZ3STA.  Station 1846 is CT4RK.  And on and on.

Is the board difficult to populate, and does it require any surface mount components?

There are two boards.  The preamp board that I received last week (23.1) had two things to solder -- an RJ35 jack and a terminal strip.  Neither was SMT.  The main board that came with it (22.2) had two things to solder -- a big electrolytic and a terminal strip.  Once again no SMT.  Here is a snapshot of the entire solder-parts bag.
   

All surface-mount components had already been mounted for me.  

And the firmware had already been loaded.

What about the receiving antenna...I see a lot of variations and wonder which type has shown the best success.

Keep in mind that if you purchase the station that I purchased (the Blue Mini, aka Blue Basic) you don't get to use an E-field antenna.  The preamp and main board are set up specifically for H-field antennas.  And the number of antennas is limited to two.

Yes it is an option to construct your own H-field antennas.  As a ham myself I was very tempted to try to construct my own.  Then I laid down for a while until the feeling went away, and I went to Ferrite Rod Antennas (it seems I am not allowed to post the URL) and purchased two FRA-200/12s.  Smartest choice I ever made.  When they arrived I hooked everything up and it worked pretty well.  Lots of my reports got used.  Then I shielded the antennas.  Now lots more of my reports get used.  

73 de K7UV

73 de AA2KW

[Ok8leo]

My question is: are there any hams that are involved with this system to receive and report lightning strikes, anywhere in the world. Is the board difficult to populate, and does it require any surface mount components? What about the receiving antenna...I see a lot of variations and wonder which type has shown the best success. My QTH is only two miles west of the Wasatch Front...part of the Rocky Mountains. I'm at 4400 feet and the mountains go to about 7500 feet, so there is the possibility that I might not be able to "see" lightning to the east of me. Thanks for any advice or ideas. 73 de K7UV

Yes me Ok8LEO . I have the mini. I noticed a bit disturbance when I am transmitting with 100 Watts on LF, MF, HF and VHF . the loop antenna is 60 meter away but I will invest where the disturbance comes from . The mini works good and no soldering is needed. On the picture you can vind the antenna temporarily fixed on the balcony. In the wite tight box there is an extension lead for the connection of WIFi extender , UBS connector and the receiver. outside the there is another box with the amplifier. This way I can play around in the garden where there WIFI and grid connection.  I am user 2444 and detector is 3179.
I hope this information helped abit to join the club
Leo
Ok8LEO        

[dupreezd]

Ok8LEO, first thing I will do is shorten the wires between the loop and amplifier substantially. Less of an 'antenna' to pickup unwanted interference. 

I can not tell from the pictures, make sure that you use a SHIELDED Ethernet cable, no longer than 30 meters,  between the amp and controller as per the published documents. Use a standard  UTP cable from the controller to your router or switch.

[Ok8leo]

Ok8LEO, first thing I will do is shorten the wires between the loop and amplifier substantially. Less of an 'antenna' to pickup unwanted interference. 

I can not tell from the pictures, make sure that you use a SHIELDED Ethernet cable, no longer than 30 meters,  between the amp and controller as per the published documents. Use a standard  UTP cable from the controller to your router or switch.

duprees 
Thanks for your feedback . The Ethernet cable is a standard UTC cable with a length of 50 cm. I will shorten the antenna cable when the definitieve position is determend

[Joel]

Use a standard  UTP cable from the controller to your router or switch.

I agree with you but the documentation says otherwise :

The router is connected at the RJ45 network port with a shielded twisted pair network cable (FTP, STP, S/STP, or S/FTP)

https://docs.lightningmaps.org/hardware/...connection

[oppedahl]

Ok8LEO, first thing I will do is shorten the wires between the loop and amplifier substantially. Less of an 'antenna' to pickup unwanted interference. 

I can not tell from the pictures, make sure that you use a SHIELDED Ethernet cable, no longer than 30 meters,  between the amp and controller as per the published documents. Use a standard  UTP cable from the controller to your router or switch.

duprees 
Thanks for your feedback . The Ethernet cable is a standard UTC cable with a length of 50 cm. I will shorten the antenna cable when the definitieve position is determend

Sorry I am not sure what "UTC" means in this context.  I imagine "U" might mean "unshielded" and if so, I would switch over to a shielded cable.