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+--- Thread: New complete Kits? (/showthread.php?tid=1329)
New complete Kits? - WØTDH - 2015-05-19
GM,
Not many Stations near to our area. Two in TN near Chattanooga, one near Wilmington, NC.
Not sure of GA, but seem to be none in SC, VA, or WVA.
This Web Site is a great help to our Rural area. Storms kind of creep up and Radar coverage
seems poor at best. It is almost like they do not know we are here
)So, using the Web site, we can see where the storms are and better track them.
I feel this site is a real Public Service.
A few Amateur Radio folks in our area would like to pool our resources and purchase
a New complete kit. A complete kit that has not been started/unopened? would be OK too.
73,
Tom - WØTDH
RE: New complete Kits? - John.Sacrey - 2015-05-19
Hi Tom,
System "Blue" kits are not available currently and do not have a release date. It is my understanding they will come in a few forms from complete kits to nearly plug and play, which is what everyone seems to be holding out for. Coverage for your area is rather sparse, but there are 3 stations in TN (Rossville, Harrison and Soddy Daisy), 1 in KY (Frankfort), 1 in NC (Leland), and 1 in VA near the DC area (Clifton). Hopefully more will come online once System Blue is released.
Hope this helps,
John Sacrey
Blitzortung Station #722
Benton, AR
RE: New complete Kits? - WØTDH - 2015-05-19
Tnx John,
Just feel various County EOC Directors through out our State should Host/Sponsor a few Stations as a Public Service.
If not, I will encourage several Ham Radio Clubs to do that.
73,
Tom - WØTDH
RE: New complete Kits? - Jonathan.Williams - 2015-05-20
(2015-05-19, 12:55)WØTDH Wrote: Tnx John,
Just feel various County EOC Directors through out our State should Host/Sponsor a few Stations as a Public Service.
If not, I will encourage several Ham Radio Clubs to do that.
73,
Tom - WØTDH
That would be very nice! Coverage in most of Virginia, West Virginia, etc. is indeed a little sparse right now. Would be helpful for us in the DC region to see what's coming
Best,
Jonathan
Station 1013
RE: New complete Kits? - cutty - 2015-05-20
Development is progressing on System Blue
... watch for announcements..Meantime, please remember that Blitzortung is 'hobbyist' classification, and should NOT be relied on for any other reason...
While quite accurate and dependable, no one should base decisions based upon data generated by a volunteer network
such as Blitzortung. Being a network of 'volunteer hobbyists', and newly developing, with various antennas and installations,
the system does not have those certifications, credibility, and legal standing, as yet, anyway...
True, many of us consider this beyond the status of 'hobby'... and feel much the same as you've expressed..
Cheers! We'll be watching for your station to go online later!
Mike
RE: New complete Kits? - jackpbass - 2015-05-22
Very much interested in participation. Discovered you just as RED kits were gone sadly. Waiting for BLUE with great anticipation. My position is in the N. Oregon Cascades 1 mi. north of Welches Or. Participate in ARPS (CW6318) and Weather Underground (KORRHODO2) with a live system. Oregon seams to have some coverage but it seems it could use more, especially in the lighting prone Cascades. Very glad to see this wonderful system and anxiously look forward to participation. Keep up the great work and thanks for being here.
RE: New complete Kits? - Dale.Reid - 2015-05-23
I think of this system being, in a way, superior to radar. That of course sees rain and all, but you don't HAVE to have a 'local' BO station to get good plots of the strikes that the system sees.
There of course have been personal observations and other discussions about the fact that a cloud to ground strike just happened near me and it never showed up on the plot.
But if there is a good scattering of stations, even within 500 miles, all with good geometry the strike map will be very nicely populated. And as a matter of fact, most of us last year or so were a bit disappointed when a storm got really close and our systems were in interference mode. No contributions from the station, but the system still was plotting away with data from other stations not interferred with.
Perhaps someone with more math and knowledge of the algorithms than me can comment on how much better a station closer to a strike is for a data point than a somewhat further away station's data is for accuracy. I know there are a multitude of factors, including too far away and the signal is (simplistically) spread out and some of the most telling portions of the signal are not able to be teased out of the wave.
But is there an optimal distance?
Is it only a teensy weensy bit better to have a station at the optimal distance (whatever that is, and even if there is one) compared to say a station with the same angle on the strike, but a few hundred miles further away?
I wonder if the E field antennas data are preferred by the system when a storm is closer?
And of course throw in local noise that confuses things and the variables get crazy.
But thinking about such things is fun and helps make this a worthwhile hobby, as Mike still sort of thinks it is for some and is way beyond for others!
Dale
RE: New complete Kits? - WØTDH - 2015-05-25
(2015-05-20, 13:08)Cutty Wrote: Development is progressing on System Blue
Meantime, please remember that Blitzortung is 'hobbyist' classification, and should NOT be relied on for any other reason...
While quite accurate and dependable, no one should base decisions based upon data generated by a volunteer network
such as Blitzortung. Being a network of 'volunteer hobbyists', and newly developing, with various antennas and installations,
the system does not have those certifications, credibility, and legal standing, as yet, anyway...
True, many of us consider this beyond the status of 'hobby'... and feel much the same as you've expressed..
Cheers! We'll be watching for your station to go online later!
Mike