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Originally Posted by kb2vxa
Depending on propagation an AM radio can hear lightning crashes many hundreds, even thousands of miles away which is why DXing the band is best done in the winter months. If you want to use one as a lightning detector it's best to use some cheap POS with poor sensitivity and having an internal antenna tuned between stations on the low end of the band where it has lower sensitivity and lightning travels best.
Many years ago I built a simple detector using a 50-0-50 DC microammeter connected between my long wire antenna and ground. It reacted to currents flowing both up and down, you'd be surprised at all the electrical activity on a clear day and how it gets intense when a storm is in the area. Later I built an AC version that only reacted to EMP created by discharges when a storm was nearby, both can be quite interesting.
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See, I had no idea about that. I was reading that the characteristic frequency of lightning is around 300kHz, so it makes sense that an AM radio can pick it up on the low end. Lots more reading to do. I'd like to have a series of LEDs that light up based on distance, like the device in the last link David gave.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kb2vxa
To I have to remind you to disconnect a lightning detector when the storm gets close before it goes POOF? (;->)
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I thought I would just shunt the energy right to my car battery to charge it up a little, maybe even split it off and charge my neighbors battery too. I'm sure there's enough juice to go around, and he'll love the surprise. I'll probably need a voltage regulator. Do you think a 79L12 would work, or should I go with the 79M12.
(Dedicated to Toadwhisperer)