Hi All,
I know this subject has come up as few times in the past but I’d like to go out & buy myself a lightning detector, (Christmas money 
)
I’d like to get as much info as possible before I hand over my money!! if anyone could point me in the right direction & help me spend my crimble money :lol:
many Thanks
Well the best is a Boltek but that costs a whole load of money, otherwise you could use a 1-wire detector. I tried 1-wire but for me it was no good because of all the false strikes YMMV. These are the only two choices that I know of which connect to a PC.
Stuart
Note the 1-wire lightning detector is better defined as a spark count detector – it just counts strikes, which could be lightning or electrical devices nearby. One of these days I will get a Boltek – we just don’t get enough lightning storms here for me to warrant its price.
asprey, it seems that in areas/countries that have 220v mains have the most problems with false strikes with 1-wire lightning. I have one and have never had a false strike that I know of but our service throughout the house is 120v except for a few appliances. Others (220v) have reported strikes from motors starting to just turning on a light switch.
–Dave
Since Asprey lives in the UK and the UK is virtually completely 240VAC 50Hz I think it is likely he would experience some problems, although maybe nothing like I do (in an old house).
Stuart
The Lightning Detector does seem to have more false counts in countries with 220v systems but I also have many customers all over the world who don’t have any problems.
Unfortunately there seems to be many factors that can affect the Lightning Detector’s performance like the wiring in the house, proximity to noise generating appliances (like air conditioning units and fridges), electric fences and if there are any high tension power lines nearby.
Eric
Hi all,
Thanks for your replies, the one wire detector is a no-go then, too many problems with false readings.
Makes me wonder if we in the UK get enough lightning strikes to warrant the price…or am I just throwing money away?
Tony
Only you can decide it it’s worth it in your particular situation:
If you have about $50 get a 1 wire and count strikes, plus (most likely) some local electric arc activity. You will get some interesting results for a low investment. There have only been a few users on here who have found it to be unuseable, you can probably sell it if that happens to you.
If it’s worth it to you, and it fits your budget, spend about $500 to get a Boltek PCI unit with NexStorm software, then you will have count, direction, distance, and mapping with hardware and software filtering to reduce (but not necessarily eliminate) false counts from non-lightning sources.
You could go the cheap way and just buy a 1-wire spark counter, or spend the bucks and get yourself a Boltek.
I myself have a Boltek and running NexStorm here, and WD works well with NexStorm as well.
Mail order from the USA is the cheapest option, but be very careful who they ship through, as the costs of shipping can be quite astronomical.
That’s US$ Niko… in the UK, the Boltek is something like double the US price. Nexstorm is actually cheaper though… I got mine from Meterologica.
Well thanks for all your replies,
I’m going to go for the Boltek :D, so it also needs software? Nexstorm?
So what would I be looking at price wise for the boltek/software in the UK? Is the Boltek & software all I need, or do I need anything else? where would I buy the bundle from (best place) in the UK?
Also how easy is it to setup & run with WD/WDL?
Sorry for all the questions!!!
Tony
I bought the Boltec, the csv map, and Nexstorm. Integration with WD is easy, a couple of clicks and WD is gathering strike data from Nexstorm via the IPC gate. After that you integrate the display you want with your website. The WDL integration is covered in the manual and should not be a problem either.
You should be able to browse the internet to find the best deal(s) for your location.
Good choice Tony, but it’s the hardware that needs more attention than the software. If you go for the PCI card make sure your PC has available slots and also you need to run the cable to the antenna. Do your homework regarding the installation. Also a bit of advice, there are at least 4 station that I know off in the UK that provide data for lightning and they cover the area very well, when I bought mine I didn’t see if they were any in Greece, when I bought it then I found out that there are another 3 stations.
Peter
Hmmm, I wonder if provantage will ship to the UK?
Hi all,
Done a bit of research on the Boltek, Peter thanks for your input on the subject, & love your lightning info on your web page. I can now see that there is a few stations in the UK ( by me) that provide lightning data, does this matter? should there be a certain distance apart? Also does the sensor have to be located outside or can I install it in my loft?
Thanks for the info, Is theres anything else that I need to know?
Tony
There is a lot of info on the Boltek on their web site at http://www.boltek.com Includes downloads of manuals, mounting instructions and pictures of actual installations.
Hi Tony, look in the forum for information regarding the installation of the boltek http://discourse.weather-watch.com/t/10461 this is one of them, there are more issues in other posts, it’s just something that you have to fiddle with to get it working right. I had mine relocated 3 times. It can be installed inside or outside (the antenna) from there on it’s just a matter how good the reception is and how accurate. No limit in the distance between stations.
Peter
Distance between stations is only an issue if you want to join StrikeStar. If you don’t plan to join that network and share your data than it doesn’t matter how close or far away the stations are from each other…