Weather-Above lightning radar system information

The lightning strikes are received using a frame antenna set at 10 kHz. At this frequency range the lightning

sends impulses over a range of several thousand kilometers. The antenna consists of a frame, around which

wire is wound in multiple windings. The antenna measures the magnetic part of a wave and has the advantage

that it is less sensitive to interfering electrical fields. With a single antenna, the lightning strike can be detected

but the direction cannot be measured. For this reason a second identical antenna is mounted at 90 degrees to the

first antenna. The direction can be calculated from the two signals measured. It is still not possible to say for

certain that the lightning strike occurred at one direction, exactly opposite direction could also have been

possible (+180 degrees). This is also due to the fact that we do not know if the lightning strike had a positive or

negative charge. If you are working with a single station, a third antenna is therefore necessary to detect the

charge and therefore the correct direction of the strike. A single station cannot be used to determine the exact

position / distance of the strike. This can only be estimated from the strength of the signal, since not all

lightning strikes have the same energy. Lightning Radar works in a group of a number of stations and can

therefore calculate the correct direction and the position / distance using only 2 antennas.