Lightning/2000™ version 6.6 User’s Manual Copyright © 2014, Aninoquisi July, 2014 112 Bruce Street Huntland, TN 37345 Phone: 931.469.7608 e-Mail: support@aninoquisi.com World-Wide Web: www.aninoquisi.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Table of Contents A Warning ________________________________________ 7 Introduction _________________________________________ 9 About Lightning/2000… _____________________________ 9 System Requirements ______________________________ 10 Lightning/2000 Installation _________________________ 12 Background Map Installation _______________________ 13 Device Driver Installation __________________________ 13 Basic Operation _____________________________________ 17 Using the Built-in He
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Editing the Background Map _______________________ 30 Naming Map Objects ______________________________ 32 The Windows _______________________________________ 33 Raw Lightning Data _______________________________ 34 Real-time Lightning _______________________________ 38 Analysis _________________________________________ 41 Threat Assessment ________________________________ 44 Stroke Rate Graph ________________________________ 46 Rates ________________
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Stroke Rate Counters __________________________ 92 The Stroke Rate Change Counters ___________________ 96 Menu Commands ___________________________________ 105 File Menu _______________________________________ 105 Edit Menu ______________________________________ 109 Window Menu ___________________________________ 110 Options Menu ___________________________________ 114 Help Menu ______________________________________ 116 Counters Menu __________________________________ 117 P
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Settings Dialog __________________________________ 207 Graph Stroke Types and Colors Dialog ______________ 211 Layer Order Dialog ______________________________ 213 Selected Topics ____________________________________ 215 Raw Lightning Data vs.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Peak Count Keywords ____________________________ 294 Percent and Ratio Keywords _______________________ 299 Records Keywords _______________________________ 302 Total Count Keywords ____________________________ 311 Trend Keywords _________________________________ 314 Custom Summary Examples __________________________ 319 Performing Screen Captures and FTP _______________ 319 Sending E-Mail or Text Messages ___________________ 322 Sending Place-Specific E-Mail ___________________
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N A Warning Lightning/2000 produces information on several levels that can be used to detect approaching storms. Don’t allow your enthusiasm for tracking severe weather to cloud your judgment however. You should not depend solely on Lightning/2000 for your severe weather warnings. Though we believe that Lightning/2000 is a useful tool in your severe-weather preparedness arsenal, it shouldn’t be used for the protection of life or property.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 An approaching tornado calls for immediate action. Seek shelter on the lowest floor or basement of the building you’re in near the center of the building. Avoid windows at all costs. Under no circumstances should you waste time by opening windows! If you’re in a mobile home, you should seek shelter outside by lying flat against the ground (or better yet, in a ditch or culvert) away from trees and automobiles.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 1 Introduction About Lightning/2000… • System Requirements • Lightning/2000 Installation • Background Map Installation • Device Driver Installation About Lightning/2000… Lightning/2000 is a software tool that can be used to replay “canned” lightning archive files created by Lightning/2000, or when used on a system that has the Boltek lightning detection hardware and antenna, can detect and analyze real-time lightning data.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 In version 5.4 and later, the use of CID (Compact Intercloud Discharge) strokes can identify many more nearby lightning flashes with a high degree of accuracy and a false alarm rate of nearly zero. Also, the option to require nearby flashes to include CID strokes is now available (Options | Settings… from the main menu). This option can reduce the false alarm rate for identifying nearby flashes using the previously proven technique (first included in version 4.6) to zero.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N using a graphics driver mode with only 16 or 256 colors. Aninoquisi is not responsible for problems observed in such a case. • Do not attempt to run Lightning/2000 and any other software that accesses the lightning detection hardware at the same time.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Lightning/2000 Installation If you have a Lightning/2000 CD, just insert the CD into your computer’s CD drive. The Lightning/2000 setup program should start up automatically. If it does not, navigate to the CD and run the installation program manually. If you downloaded a ZIP file from the Aninoquisi website, just double-click on the file and run the setup program that’s in the ZIP folder. You will be prompted for a password during the installation process.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Background Map Installation The largest or most detailed background map should be copied automatically from your Lightning/2000 installation CD to the Lightning/2000 installation directory on your computer. To install a different map, follow the procedure below. The procedure for installing a background map is very straightforward. The .AMF format of the supplied map(s) is proprietary to Aninoquisi.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The installation of this driver is not required to use the Boltek LD-250 portable lightning detector, nor is it required when using the Boltek StormTracker PCI card. If you are using the LD-350, the installation of the proper driver should happen automatically when you plug the LD350 into a USB port and turn on the power to the unit. If this does not happen, you may download the driver from the Aninoquisi website’s Downloads page.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N 8. After waiting for it to think a while, click the "Have Disk..." button. 9. Click the "Browse..." button and navigate to the folder where Lightning/2000 is installed (C:\Program Files\Aninoquisi\Lightning2000 is the default folder). 10. Select the "genport" file. 11. Click the "OK" button. 12. Select the "Lightning/2000" driver and click "OK".
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 2 Basic Operation Using the Built-in Help • How Lightning/2000 Works • The Boltek Hardware • CPU Usage • Running Lightning/2000 • Customizing Lightning/2000’s performance • Operating modes • Customizing the Colors, Fonts, and Alarms • Other Customizations Using the Built-in Help You can display help on almost any topic. Most dialog boxes have a Help button.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 How Lightning/2000 Works Every lightning flash (whether it’s cloud-to-ground (CG) or intercloud/intracloud (IC)) produces several electric pulses (strokes) that are picked up by the antenna on your Boltek system. Each of these strokes is analyzed to determine whether it is lightning or not. The ones that aren’t lightning are categorized as “noises”. Note: only the LD-350, the StormTracker ISA or PCI hardware allows you to discriminate between IC and CG strokes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Threat Assessment window, and, optionally, the Real-time Lightning window. Each lightning stroke is displayed in two different ways as soon as it is detected. The detector activity window shows the strength of each incoming stroke. The Raw Lightning Data window plots each stroke according to its strength and direction. No distance information is displayed in the Raw Lightning Data window.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 And with the custom summary, you can construct your own criteria for what constitutes an alert and change the general status alert level independently. Because of the inexact nature of the analysis process, it is not uncommon for a general status alert to be displayed when a storm is still some distance away. The alternative would have been to not display an alert when a storm was potentially nearby. In general, more false alarms will occur than missed alerts.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N (or to a USB port with the included adaptor), and the LD-350, which connects to a USB port. With the StormTracker card or the LD-350, Lightning/2000 has access to the raw waveform description of each lightning stroke. Analysis performed on these waveforms enables Lightning/2000 to determine what kind of lightning (CG or IC) is occurring. The LD-250 performs its own analysis on each lightning stroke.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Running Lightning/2000 After a successful installation, click the “Start” button, click “Programs”. The Lightning/2000 icon will be at or near the end of the “Programs” menu. Click this icon to start Lightning/2000. Important: if you are running Lightning/2000 under Windows 2000 or Windows XP, and using the Boltek ISA StormTracker, you will first need to install the device driver. Instructions for this procedure are in Chapter 1.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The next thing you need to do is to open the Hardware Settings Dialog (Options | Hardware…) and enable the lightning detection hardware. See Chapter 8 for details on this dialog box. You will probably want to customize the appearance of the Lightning/2000 display to suit your needs. Basically, rightclicking the mouse on any visible element causes a popup menu to appear. These popup menus contain various options that can be changed.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 When used in conjunction with the Range Scaling dialog, the squelch can be used to adjust how storms are ranged. The Range Scaling dialog can be used to affect how the range to storms is determined. You can use this dialog to multiply the range to a storm by a constant factor that depends on the original range of the storm. See chapter 8 for details on the Range Scaling dialog.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N In both the simple and advanced modes, flashes are displayed in the Real-time Lightning window; however the Raw Lightning Data window may be switched between the display of strokes and flashes. In one of the “classic” modes (choose Window | Arrange | Classic from the main menu), either flashes or strokes may be displayed. You may change whether flash or stroke information is presented by choosing Options | Flash mode from the main menu.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 settings for the IC percentage, right-click on the IC% counter, and so forth. The storm range alarms may only be changed from within the Analysis window. The general status line alarms may be changed by right-clicking on the status line. Other Customizations The contents of the Custom Summary Window and the General Status Line may be customized by changing the templates used. The custom summaries currently running may be changed in the Custom Summary Manager.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 3 The Background Map About the Background Map • Status Bar • Popup Menus • Changing Map Object Colors • Displaying/Hiding Map Layers • Map Object Visibility • Editing the Background Map • Naming Map Objects About the Background Map The background map uses a “flat” projection. Each degree of latitude spans the same distance on the screen as each degree of longitude.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Status Bar The status bar at the top of the map window allows you to perform various operations on the map, and to see the exact location of the mouse cursor on the map. Use the “+” button to enter zoom mode. When in zoom mode, click and drag a box around the area you wish to zoom into. Use the “-“ button to zoom out. You will zoom out to the previous map view, or if there is no previous view, to a view that encompasses two times the map area.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N for the particular map object that you clicked on, (3) the “Add Map Object” sub-menu, and (4) the “Layers” sub-menu. The window’s sub-menu allows you to change various properties of the window itself, including the map’s center. The map object’s sub-menu contains various properties of the particular map object that you clicked on (such as color or font). The “Add Map Object” sub-menu allows you to add a variety of different objects to the map.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Map Object Visibility Most elements of the map itself (cities, rivers, roads, etc.) are only visible if you zoom in on the map. The zoom level at which a particular map feature appears is related to the size of the map feature. For map objects that occupy an area (like cities), the larger in area the map object, the further zoomed out you can be and still see the object. For map objects that are lines (like rivers), the longer the map object, the further zoomed out you can be.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N “Properties” sub-menu. You will then see the nodes that define the shape of the map feature. You may click and drag a node to a new position. Double-clicking on a node adds a new node to the feature. Right-click on the feature and choose "Edit" again to quit editing that object and return the object to its normal appearance. Naming a City or Place To change the name of a city or place, right-click on the city or place and choose "Name...
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Naming Map Objects Attach a name to a map object by right-clicking on the map object and choosing “Name…” from its sub-menu on the popup menu. Names of roads are somewhat different than names of other map objects. You can enter just a number for the road name and that number will be displayed inside a generic road symbol. You can enter a road number preceded by one of these combinations of letters.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 4 The Windows Raw Lightning Data • Real-time Lightning • Analysis • Threat Assessment • Stroke Rate History • Rates • Totals • Storm Statistics • Detector Status • NOWCast • Summary • Records • The General Status Line 33
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Raw Lightning Data Closer storm to the west, with more distant storms to the north. Note the “tail” of strokes pointing towards the center of the screen towards the west. The Raw Lightning Data window contains exactly what the name implies. Lightning strokes are grouped into one of 6 ages: oldest, older, old, new, newer, and newest. Each stroke type in each of the 6 ages may be drawn in a different color and shape.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Properties | Settings | View | Strokes from the popup menu. For Boltek StormTracker or LD-350 users, the first 7 stroke types will be displayed. For Boltek LD-250 users, only the “Unknown” stroke type is used. The LD-250 performs its own rudimentary analysis on each lightning stroke and only passes along the amplitude of each stroke.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 stroke on a background map, only the Raw Lightning Data window allows you to see fine detail a storm’s structure, such as the prevalence of CG versus IC strokes, and their relative amplitudes. The data in the Raw Lightning Data window has been processed only enough to determine its strength and direction. Stronger flashes (they aren’t necessarily nearer flashes) are displayed closer to the center of the window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N A moderately distant storm to the north-northwest. There is no “tail” of strokes towards the center of the screen. A somewhat more nearby storm can be seen to the northeast. The contents of the Raw Lightning Data window may be copied to the clipboard by choosing Copy from the Edit menu.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Real-time Lightning Real-time Lightning window showing a powerful, relatively nearby storm with some close strokes. The Real-time Lightning window is displayed by choosing Raw Lightning Data Properties | Real-time lightning from the Raw Lightning Data window’s popup menu (by right-clicking in the window). Incoming lightning strokes are analyzed using a variety of statistical techniques.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N window’s right-click menu. Click on one of the storms to display detailed information about the storm in the Storm Statistics window. The border of the window will change color to indicate when a yellow or red storm range alert is in effect. The Analysis window is the central authority for determining when a storm range alert is in effect. With the advent of Lightning/2000 v4.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 stroke or flash how far away it is when using the Boltek hardware. Also, the very first stroke detected in a particular direction will not be plotted. A single detection cannot be reliably placed within a storm. Multiple strokes in a particular direction need to occur before a “storm” is detected in that direction. An image of the Real-time Lightning window can be captured and saved to a file in any or all of three formats (PNG, BMP, or JPG).
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Analysis Analysis window showing a storm just to the west. Lightning/2000 analyzes the incoming lightning strokes that have occurred over the last 5-20 minutes. The results of this analysis are displayed in the Analysis window. Denser areas in the raw data window are identified as “storms”. A “storm” doesn’t necessarily mean a single, well-defined storm however. Storms are normally drawn as hollow wedge shapes, colorcoded by intensity.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Individual thunderstorms may occupy a large area, but frequently the area of the storm that is producing the bulk of the lightning is quite small. A single storm may have a number of lightning producing areas. Heavy lightning production doesn’t always correlate with the severity of the storm, and a low level of lightning doesn’t always mean a storm should not be monitored.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N but it seems to perform better than anything we’ve seen before. The number of CID strokes per minute is an excellent indicator of a close storm. A distant storm will never be seen to produce a large number of CID strokes. The energy ratio counter is also a good indicator of whether or not a storm is nearby. Frequent red alerts on this counter is a sign that you should check a radar at your earliest opportunity. With the advent of Lightning/2000 v4.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Threat Assessment window, and the Real-time Lightning window (if the analysis is shown there). The Analysis window can be made to resize itself (every 5 minutes) so that the majority of lightning activity is displayed by choosing Analysis Properties | Settings | Auto zoom from the right-click menu The contents of the Analysis window may be copied to the clipboard by choosing Copy from the Edit menu.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N 100 per minute, the last 10 minutes worth of flashes are used. If the stroke rate is at least 50 per minute, the last 15 minutes of flashes are used. Stroke rates below 50 per minute cause the previous 20 minutes of flash data to be used. The average range of all strokes in a similar direction is used to calculate the placement of the colored areas in the Threat Assessment window.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Stroke Rate Graph The dramatically increasing CG flash rate is indicative of a severe storm. This graph shows the flash rates. The rate of nearby flashes increases as the storm approaches. The total stroke rate plus the noise rate. The stroke rate graph shows you at a glance the rate of change of lightning activity. You can change the length of time that the graph comprises from 15 minutes to 24 hours by rightclicking on the graph.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The graph is automatically rescaled so that the peak level occupies the entire height of the graph. The graph update interval is dependent on the width of the graph window and the length of the graph. During times of no lightning activity, occasional electrical discharges may be detected. During these periods, the graph will take on a “picket fence” appearance, with each picket representing a single stroke or flash.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Rates window as it appears when using the LD-250. The Rates window in advanced mode when using the StormTracker. The Rates window in simple mode when using the StormTracker. The Rates window contains 31 counters. The leftmost group contains the most important counters: the total flash rate counter, the strong stroke rate counter, the noise rate counter, and the CID stroke rate counter.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N counters are updated as often as every half second, as are the stroke rate change counters. You can change the look of each counter in this window individually by right-clicking on the counter or its label. You can change the look of all the counters or labels at the same time by choosing an option from the Counters menu on the menu bar at the top of the main window.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The Totals window (in flash or stroke mode) as it appears when using the LD-250. The Totals window as it appears in advanced mode when using the Boltek StormTracker or LD-350. The Totals window contains the number of strokes of each of the various stroke types, as well as energy and noises, that has been detected since midnight. You can change the look of each counter in this window individually by right-clicking on the counter or its label.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 time by choosing an option from the Counters menu on the menu bar at the top of the main window. It was originally thought that the total number of strokes detected would always be greater than the total number of flashes detected. This was because each flash must consist of at least one stroke. However it is possible to observe a flash total that is greater than the stroke total. If a stroke occurs just before midnight, it will be included in the totals for that day.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N viewing flashes in the Real-time Lightning window or Raw Lightning Data window. You may view strokes in the Raw Lightning Data window. Right-click in the window and choose "Settings..." from the popup menu to select the "View | Strokes" option. On the Stroke ages tab, you can toggle the drawing of any of the 6 stroke ages without having to open the Stroke Types Dialog.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 During periods of little or no lightning activity, Lightning/2000 only checks the lightning detection hardware intermittently. At these times, the system load meter will only have the first or second bar lit. Allocated strokes counter This counter shows the total number of strokes allocated at any time. During times of little activity, this number will not change.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Storm Statistics 55
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Storm Statistics window appears whenever you click on a storm in the Analysis window, or (optionally) the Real-time Lightning window. It is also displayed when you click on a group of stroke or flashes in the Raw Lightning Data window. The information presented here is meant to offer a detailed look at the character of a storm. The Stats page of the window contains text information that may be copied to the clipboard.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N • How many strokes were recorded in the minute before that • How many strokes were recorded in the last 5 minutes • The stroke density in strokes per angular degree per minute • The estimated severity index (100 or above indicates a very severe storm) • The average amplitude of all strokes in the storm • The average amplitude of all usable CG strokes in the storm • The average recent amplitude • The maximum amplitude detected • The av
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 • The IC flash multiplicity. This is the ratio of the number of IC strokes to the number of IC flashes. A flash may consist of one or more strokes, so this number represents the average number of strokes per flash. The flash multiplicity will typically increase as a storm draws closer. (Not available when using the LD-250.) • The number of unique CG flashes in the storm (Not available when using the LD-250.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The information contained on the Graphs page includes: • The amplitude distribution graph for the storm • The wavelength distribution graph for the storm 59
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 • • The stroke type distribution graph for the storm. (The distribution of flashes is shown when in flash mode, simple mode, or advanced mode) o Negative cloud-to-ground o Positive cloud-to-ground o Negative intercloud o Positive intercloud o Leaders o Compact intercloud discharge The stroke rate history for the storm. The information in the stroke distribution graph may be changed by choose Strokes types and colors… from the graph’s right-click menu.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Right-click on elements in this window to change their properties. Detector Status The Detector Status window in simple and advanced modes. The Detector Status window gives a visual indication of each incoming lightning stroke. The signal strength meters are updated immediately following the detection of a stroke. The number of segments lighted is directly proportional to the strength of the stroke. Strong strokes light all of the segments.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 the system load meter spends a lot of time in the red area. Occasional peaks in the yellow or red segments are normal. They occur when the system is performing a particularly computation-intensive operation, such as updating the analysis window or the graph window. During periods of little or no lightning activity, Lightning/2000 only checks the lightning detection hardware intermittently. The system load meter will light only the first bar at these times.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N along with their average rates. Additionally the total amount of time spent under the various alerts is given. Peak counts for each of the counters are listed. Finally, statistics on the number of archive files on your hard drive are given. Each day’s summary is saved to a file at midnight. The summary file is a text file that can be opened with a simple word processor such as Wordpad or Notepad.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 editor’s main menu to save the records to a file that can then be taken over to the new computer and imported into the Registry there. The General Status Line The general status line at the bottom of the main window represents Lightning/2000’s assessment of the threat level presented by recent lightning activity. It is based on the recent counts and the analysis window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N lines. Multiple lines output by the status line template will be concatenated together so that they occupy a single line. A general red alert, unlike any other red alert, always remains in effect for at least 5 minutes. The general status line (when using the default template) will describe thunderstorm activity as being either "nearby", "regional", or "distant".
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 During archive playback, the detector status window, the general status line, the summary and NOWCast windows reflect the real-time lightning activity, not the activity presented by the archive. At any time during the playback of an archive, you can press the export button to start exporting archived lightning flashes to a format that can be read by Google Earth. You may also export data in a comma delimited text format.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The biggest offender is the Real-time Lightning/Raw Lightning Data window. High-speed archive playback goes much more smoothly when this window is minimized. When you first play back an archive file that was recorded with a different kind of lightning detection hardware than what you have, a special preferences file “Foreign Archive Preferences” will be created.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 5 The Custom Summary Window Overview • Commands • Keywords Overview For a complete description of every Custom Summary command and keyword, see Appendix D. This window executes a series of commands to display text, change the color of the window, and play sounds. It gets the text it displays from a file in the Lightning/2000 installation folder. The default name of the file is "Custom Summary Template.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Manager for details on how to change or edit the text file used as a template. A template file is also used to generate the text displayed on the General Status Line. That template file is of the same format, and may use any of the keywords or commands used in the Custom Summary Window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N You may also end any line with a comment by typing a semicolon. Any text on the line after the semicolon will not be included in the custom summary window. All keywords used in the Custom Summary start with the @ character. Commands start with the # character. There are 5 reserved words that you can use to control which commands are executed: if, then, else, elseif, and endif.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 or xor + * / div a logical or of two expressions a logical exclusive or of two expressions the sum of two expressions or the concatenation of two quoted strings the difference of two expressions the multiplication of two expressions the division of two expressions the division of two expressions, truncated to a whole number Here are a few examples of valid if statements: if @StrokeCount( 5 ) > 1000 then #AlertStatusLineYellow endif if ( @CGFlashCount > 50 ) and ( @StrokeCount
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N When using “or” in an expression, the part after the “or” is evaluated only if the part before the “or” is false. This is because the entire expression (before or after) can be false only if the before part is false and the after part is false. If the before part is true, then the entire expression is true whether or not the after part is true.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 addition to or instead of the normal automatic screen capture process). Text files may be produced, consisting of virtually any information, and then be sent to a server via FTP. Commands may be sent to a serial port to control external devices. Text may be written to the Custom Summary window, consisting of an almost unlimited variety of information produced by Lightning/2000. An automatically generated email may be sent. The names of the commands are not case sensitive.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The @Trend keywords return a percentage difference between an earlier count and the current count. Keywords are not case sensitive, so @cgflashcount is identical to @CGFlashCount or @CGFLASHCOUNT.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 6 The Rate Counters The Major Counters • The Percent Counters • The Flash Rate Counters • The Stroke Rate Change Counter The counters in the Rates window convey a wealth of information, though some are considered to be more important than others. The most important counters are on the left side of the window and are: the stroke or flash rate counter, the strong stroke rate counter, the energy ratio counter, and the noise rate counter.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Major Counters Stroke Rate Counter Stroke rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 50 Default red alert trigger level: 250 Record kept: Yes The stroke rate counter indicates the number of lightning strokes of all kinds detected within the last minute. In stroke mode, this counter is located at the far left of the Rates window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Default yellow alert trigger level: 25 Default red alert trigger level: 50 Record kept: No The stroke rate change counter shows the percentage change in the stroke rate between one minute ago and now. For example, if the stroke rate one minute ago was 100 and the stroke rate now is 120, then the counter would read “+20%”; if the stroke rate one minute ago was 120, and the stroke rate now is 100, then the counter would read “-17%”.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 percentage change required is twice the specified trigger level. Energy Ratio Counter Energy rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 150 Default red alert trigger level: 250 Record kept: No This counter shows the energy ratio over the last minute. The energy ratio is an arbitrary measure of the energy contained in lightning strokes. It is a good indicator of a close storm.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N A noise is defined as any electrical discharge that cannot be positively identified as a lightning flash. Noises include electrical noise from household appliances, signals transmitted by wireless electronic devices, and lightning strokes that have an insufficiently well-defined waveform. During times of heavy activity, as many or more noises than strokes may be detected.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 shows an accurate estimate of the total number of flashes per minute. A new record value is denoted by swapping the colors of the counter and the background. Nearby Flash Rate Counter Nearby flash rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 1 Default red alert trigger level: 2 Record kept: Yes The nearby flash rate counter shows the number of nearby flashes within the last minute.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N A new record value is denoted by swapping the colors of the counter and its background. CG Flash Rate Counter The CG flash rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 20 Default red alert trigger level: 100 Record kept: Yes The CG flash rate counter shows the number of cloudto-ground flashes recorded in the last minute. A CG flash is what is ordinarily thought of as a lightning bolt.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Record kept: Yes The +CG flash rate counter shows the number of positive cloud-to-ground strokes in the last minute. Positive CG strokes are more common in severe storms. A new record value is denoted by swapping the colors of the counter and the background. This counter is not used with the LD-250. Negative CG Flash Rate Counter The -CG flash rate counter, shown with and without alert bars.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Default red alert trigger level: 10 Record kept: Yes The IC flash rate counter shows the number of intercloud flashes in the last minute. Each flash is composed of at least one stroke, but IC flashes have been observed to be comprised of 30 or more strokes during nearby storms. A new record value is denoted by swapping the colors of the counter and the background. This counter is not used with the LD-250.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Positive IC Flash Rate Counter The +IC flash rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 25 Default red alert trigger level: 100 Record kept: Yes The +IC flash rate counter shows the number of positive intercloud flashes in the last minute. Each flash is composed of at least one stroke, but IC flashes have been observed to be comprised of 30 or more strokes during nearby storms.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N CID strokes are only detected from relatively nearby storms, those within 150 miles or 250 km. It is rare to see more than a single CID stroke in a minute from a storm that is more than 100 miles or 150 km away. A CID stroke rate of 5 or more is a very good sign that a storm is relatively nearby. On rare occasions, it is possible to see CID strokes from more distant storms.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 IC Percent Counter No alarm is associated with the IC percent counter. Record kept: No The IC percent counter shows the percentage of IC (intercloud/intracloud) strokes compared to the total number of strokes in the last minute. CID (compact intercloud discharge) strokes are included as IC strokes. For example, if the stroke rate is 200 and the IC stroke rate is 50, this counter would indicate “25%”.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Record kept: No The positive IC percent counter shows the percentage of +IC (positive intercloud/intracloud) strokes compared to the number of IC strokes in the last minute. For example, if the IC stroke rate is 50 and the +IC stroke rate is 40, this counter would indicate “80%”. IC strokes are more commonly detected from relatively nearby storms (within 250 km or 150 miles). As a storm approaches, the percentage of IC strokes will typically rise.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 As a storm approaches, the percentage of IC strokes will typically rise. -IC strokes are the less common type of IC stroke detected. A preponderance of –IC stroke versus +IC strokes is a trait commonly associated with severe storms. When running Lightning/2000 in flash mode, this counter shows the percentage of -IC flashes, rather than strokes. At least 10 IC strokes per minute must occur before the red or yellow alert is triggered. This counter is not used with the LD-250.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Positive CG Percent Counter The +CG percent counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 25 Default red alert trigger level: 50 Record kept: No The positive CG percent counter shows the percentage of +CG (positive cloud-to-ground) strokes compared to the number of CG strokes in the last minute. For example, if the stroke rate is 50 and the CG stroke rate is 45, this counter would indicate “90%”.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Negative CG Percent Counter There are no alarms associated with the –CG percent counter. Record kept: No The negative CG percent counter shows the percentage of -CG (negative cloud-to-ground) strokes compared to the number of CG strokes in the last minute. For example, if the CG stroke rate is 40 and the –CG stroke rate is 20, then this counter would indicate “50%”.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N IC Stroke Rate Counter The IC stroke rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 50 Default red alert trigger level: 250 Record kept: Yes The IC stroke rate counter shows the number of IC (intercloud/intracloud) strokes that have been detected in the last minute. CID (compact intercloud discharge) strokes are included in this total.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Positive IC strokes are the more common type of IC strokes. A new record value is denoted by swapping the colors of the counter and its background. This counter is not used with the LD-250. Negative IC Stroke Rate Counter The –IC stroke rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Default red alert trigger level: 200 Record kept: Yes The CG stroke rate counter shows the number of CG (cloud-to-ground) strokes that have been detected in the last minute. CG strokes can be detected from storms at any range, and have been detected over 600 miles (1000 km) away. A new record value is denoted by swapping the colors of the counter and its background. This counter is not used with the LD-250.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Negative CG Stroke Rate Counter The –CG stroke rate counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 10 Default red alert trigger level: 50 Record kept: Yes The negative CG stroke rate counter shows the number of -CG (negative cloud-to-ground) strokes that have been detected in the last minute. CG strokes can be detected from storms at any range, and have been detected over 600 miles (1000 km) away.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N these counters invisible by default was made after realizing that there were already more than enough counters for most users to watch during a storm. When Lightning/2000 is in flash mode (as opposed to stroke mode), these counters show the rate of change in the number of flashes instead of the number of strokes. IC Stroke Rate Change Counter The IC stroke rate change counter, shown with and without an alert bar.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 alert status at higher stroke rates is somewhat lower, and the percentage change that is needed for alert status at lower stroke rates is higher. At 1000 strokes per minute, the percentage change required for an alert is one-half the value specified as the trigger level. At 10 strokes per minute, the percentage change required is twice the specified trigger level. When Lightning/2000 is in flash mode, this counter shows the change in the IC flash rate.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N A sudden change in the +IC stroke rate may signal a change in the character of a storm and could indicate behavior that needs to be monitored. When you specify a trigger level for the red or yellow alert, you are specifying the percentage change that must occur if the +IC stroke rate is 100 strokes per minute.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 This counter shows the percentage change in the -IC (negative intercloud/intracloud) stroke rate between one minute ago and now. If the stroke rate one minute ago was zero, and the current stroke rate is zero, "--" is displayed. If the stroke rate one minute ago was zero, and the current stroke rate is non-zero, "*" is displayed. A sudden change in the -IC stroke rate may signal a change in the character of a storm and could indicate behavior that needs to be monitored.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N CG Stroke Rate Change Counter The CG stroke rate change counter, shown with and without an alert bar. Default yellow alert trigger level: 25 Default red alert trigger level: 50 Record kept: No This counter shows the percentage change in the CG (cloud-to-ground) stroke rate between one minute ago and now. If the stroke rate one minute ago was zero, and the current stroke rate is zero, "--" is displayed.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 At least 10 CG strokes per minute, both currently and one minute ago, must occur for the yellow or red alert to be triggered. This counter is not used with the LD-250. Positive Counter CG Stroke Rate Change The +CG stroke rate change counter, shown with and without an alert bar.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N At 1000 strokes per minute, the percentage change required for an alert is one-half the value specified as the trigger level. At 10 strokes per minute, the percentage change required is twice the specified trigger level. When Lightning/2000 is in flash mode, this counter shows the change in the +CG flash rate. At least 10 +CG strokes per minute, both currently and one minute ago, must occur for the yellow or red alert to be triggered.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 must occur if the -CG stroke rate is 100 strokes per minute. The percentage change that is needed for alert status at higher stroke rates is somewhat lower, and the percentage change that is needed for alert status at lower stroke rates is higher. At 1000 strokes per minute, the percentage change required for an alert is one-half the value specified as the trigger level. At 10 strokes per minute, the percentage change required is twice the specified trigger level.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 7 Menu Commands File Menu • Edit Menu • Window Menu • Options Menu • Help Menu • Counters Menu • Panels Menu This chapter is a reference that describes the effects of each command available from the main menu. To display help on a menu command, use the mouse to highlight the command and press the F1 key. File Menu The File menu contains commands that affect files on your hard disk. File | Open | NOWCast… Open a saved NOWCast.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 changes to the file. made to be saved. It causes the changes you’ve File | Save | NOWCast… Save the current NOWCast to your hard disk. The F5 key can also be used for this command. File | Save | Summary… Saves the current summary to your hard disk. The F6 key can also be used to access this command. The summary is saved automatically at midnight. File | Save as… This command is available when you’re viewing a NOWCast or summary.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N File | View | Recent activity | 20 mins. This command causes the activity over the last 20 minutes to be loaded into the archive player for review. The Ctrl+2 key combination can be used to access this command. File | View | Recent activity | 30 mins. This command causes the activity over the last 30 minutes to be loaded into the archive player for review. The Ctrl+3 key combination can be used to access this command.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 colors, fonts, alarm settings, stroke shapes, and other similar information are loaded. File | Load preferences… Load a complete set of preferences. This will load not only colors, fonts, alarm settings, etc., but also maps, map settings, and window sizes, positions, and all other pertinent information. File | Save preferences… Saves your current preferences to a file. It’s a good idea to save your preferences after you change any aspect of the Lightning/2000 display.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N File | Print… Prints the contents of the window. This command is only available from the NOWCast or Summary windows. File | Exit Exit Lightning/2000. Edit Menu The Edit menu contains commands for manipulating text or the contents of the clipboard. The contents of the clipboard may be pasted into any Windows application that supports the use of the clipboard. Edit | Cut Cuts the selection from the window to the clipboard.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Edit | Paste Paste the contents of the clipboard into the text window at the cursor’s location. Edit | Delete Delete the selected text from the window. Edit | Select all Select the entire contents of the text window. Window Menu The Window menu contains commands used to manipulate the arrangement of windows within Lightning/2000. Window | Arrange icons Arranges the icons of any minimized windows at the bottom of the screen.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Window | Arrange | Simple This menu command will cause all of the Lightning/2000 windows to be resized and tiled within the main window so that they are all arranged logically and no window occupies any space outside of the main window.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Window | Arrange | Classic | With title bars This menu command will cause all of the Lightning/2000 windows to be resized and tiled within the main window so that they are all arranged logically and no window occupies any space outside of the main window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Because of a peculiarity with Windows, if the Windows task bar is larger than its default size (because you have chosen to use a larger font) it is possible that the arrangement of Lightning/2000 windows will spill over the bottom edge of the main window. In that case, you will have to slightly move the windows and minimized icons to eliminate the appearance of the scroll bars.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 the bottom edge of the main window. In that case, you will have to slightly move the windows and minimized icons to eliminate the appearance of the scroll bars. The counters within the Rates and Totals windows will also be arranged in a logical manner. All of the available counters will be visible. Many of the windows will be minimized, though they can still be easily accessed by selecting them from the list of windows in the Windows menu.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Options | Screen capture… Opens the Screen Captures dialog. This dialog allows you to save images of several windows (Real-time Lightning, Analysis, Threat Assessment, Rates, Totals, Summary, and NOWCast). Screen capture images are captured whether or not the window being captured is currently being displayed.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Options | Internet | FTP… This command displays the FTP Options dialog. This dialog is used to send the automatically generated screen capture images to a remote server. The automatic screen capture must be enabled to use this option. Real-time lightning Toggle between the Raw Lightning Data window and the Real-time Lightning window. Options | Flash mode Switches Lightning/2000 between flash mode and stroke mode.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Help | About… Displays a dialog box describing the version of your copy of Lightning/2000 and copyright information. Additionally the total numbers of strokes, flashes, strong strokes, noises, and energy are displayed. The elapsed time since you started Lightning/2000 is also displayed. The operating system and the current operating mode (simple, advanced, classic flash, or classic stroke) is also displayed.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 +CG strokes are positive cloud-to-ground strokes. The majority of CG strokes in a typical thunderstorm are -CG strokes. A significant +CG stroke rate is one possible indication of a storm's severity. Counters | Stroke rates | IC strokes Toggle the display of the IC stroke rate counter. IC strokes are intercloud or intracloud strokes. A high IC stroke rate is indicative of a nearby storm. Counters | Stroke rates | -IC strokes Toggle the display of the -IC stroke rate counter.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Counters | Flash rates | CG flashes Toggle the display of the CG flash rate counter. A CG flash is a cloud-to-ground bolt of lightning. Counters | Flash rates | IC flashes Toggle the display of the IC flash rate counter. An IC flash is a bolt or streak of lightning that occurs in the clouds or between clouds and does not connect with the ground. Counters | Flash rates | +CG flashes Toggle the display of the +CG flash rate counter.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 flash mode) means a higher percentage of IC strokes, and likely is an indication of a more nearby storm. Counters | Percentages | +CG% Toggle the display of the +CG% counter. +CG strokes are positive cloud-to-ground strokes. A higher percentage of +CG strokes (or flashes, when in flash mode) is usually an indication that a storm is severe. Counters | Percentages | -CG% Toggle the display of the -CG% counter.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N -IC strokes are negative intercloud or intracloud strokes. Most IC strokes in a typical storm are of the positive variety. A higher percentage of -IC strokes (or flashes, when in flash mode) is usually an indication of a severe storm. Counters | Percent changes | CG strokes ±% Toggle the display of the CG ±% counter. CG strokes are cloud-to-ground strokes.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 polarity. The majority of CG strokes from a typical storm are -CG strokes. A sudden change in the -CG stroke rate (or flash rate, when in flash mode) may indicate unusual storm activity. Counters | Percent changes | IC strokes ±% Toggle the display of the IC ±% counter. IC strokes are intercloud or intracloud strokes. A sudden change in the IC stroke rate (or flash rate, when in flash mode) may indicate unusual storm activity.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Counters | Stroke totals | Strokes Toggle the display of the stroke total counter. Counters | Stroke totals | Strong strokes Toggle the display of the strong stroke total counter. Counters | Stroke totals | CG strokes Toggle the display of the CG stroke total counter. Counters | Stroke totals | +CG strokes Toggle the display of the +CG stroke total counter. Counters | Stroke totals | -CG strokes Toggle the display of the -CG stroke total counter.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Counters | Flash totals | IC flashes Toggle the display of the IC flash total counter. Counters | Flash totals | +CG flashes Toggle the display of the +CG flash total counter. Counters | Flash totals | -CG flashes Toggle the display of the –CG flash total counter. Counters | Flash totals | +IC flashes Toggle the display of the +IC flash total counter. Counters | Flash totals | -IC flashes Toggle the display of the –IC flash total counter.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Counters | Font color… Change the color of all counters in the window. Counters | Font… Change the font used to draw all counters in the window. Counters | Effect | Sunken Change the way that all counters in the window are drawn to a sunken style. This effect looks best if the counter is not a very light or very dark color. Counters | Effect | Flat Change the way that all counters in the window are drawn to a flat style.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Counters | Alert bar | Color… Change the color of the alert bar. This color will be used to draw all alert bars in the window, except when a counter is in yellow or red alert. To change the yellow alert color of all counters choose Counters | Yellow alert | Color... and to change the red alert color of all counters choose Counters | Red alert | Color.... Counters | Alert bar | Effect | Sunken Change the way that all alert bars in the window are drawn to a sunken style.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Counters | Yellow alert | Font color… Change the color used to draw any counter in the window in its yellow alert state. Counters | Yellow alert | Effect | Sunken Change the effect used to draw any yellow alert counter in the window to a sunken style. This effect looks best if the counter is not a very light or a very dark color.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Counters | Red alert | Font color… Change the color used to draw any counter in the window in its red alert state. Counters | Red alert | Effect | Sunken Change the effect used to draw any red alert counter in the window to a sunken style. This effect looks best if the counter is not a very light or a very dark color. Counters | Red alert | Effect | Flat Change the effect used to draw any red alert counter in the window to a flat style.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Counters | Caption | Effect | Flat Change the way that all captions are drawn to a flat style. Counters | Caption | Effect | Raised Change the way that all captions are drawn to a raised style. This effect looks best if the caption is not a very light or a very dark color. Panels Menu Panels | Arrange Arrange all panels in the window so that the entire window is occupied and no panels overlap each other.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Panels | Allocated strokes counter Toggle the display of the allocated strokes counter.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 8 Popup Menus Accessing Popup Menus • Popup Menu Reference Each window in Lightning/2000 and every item contained within a window have a number of properties. These properties are changed via the popup menus. Each popup menu command is listed alphabetically in the reference section. Accessing Popup Menus Right-clicking the mouse within a window or on top of an object accesses a window or object’s popup menu.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Popup Menu Reference Add Map Object | Land Feature | Airport… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add an Airport to the background map. Airports show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of an Airport, right-click on it and choose “Airport Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to an Airport, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N To edit the shape of a Cropland area, right-click on it and choose “Cropland Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a Cropland area, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position. To delete a Cropland area, right-click on it and choose “Cropland Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to an area of Government Land, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position. To delete a Government Land area, right-click on it and choose “Government Land Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu. To change the name of a Government Land area, right-click on it and choose "Government Land Properties | Name..." from the popup menu.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Add Map Object | Land Feature | Military Base… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Military Base to the background map. Military Bases show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a Military Base, right-click on it and choose “Military Base Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a Military Base, double-click on an existing node.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position. To delete a Park, right-click on it and choose “Park Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu. To change the name of a Park, right-click on it and choose "Park Properties | Name..." from the popup menu. To make the Park visible at all zoom levels, right-click on it and choose “Park Properties | Always Visible” from the popup menu.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N To make the Reservation visible at all zoom levels, right-click on it and choose “Reservation Properties | Always Visible” from the popup menu. Add Map Object | Land Feature | Sand… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add an area of Sand to the background map. Sand areas show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 To change the name of an Seaport, right-click on it and choose "Seaport Properties | Name..." from the popup menu. To make the Seaport visible at all zoom levels, rightclick on it and choose “Seaport Properties | Always Visible” from the popup menu. Add Map Object | Location | City… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a City to the background map. Cities show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Places show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To delete a Place, right-click on it and choose “Place Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu. To change the name of a Place, right-click on it and choose "Place Properties | Name..." from the popup menu. To make the Place visible at all zoom levels, right-click on it and choose “Place Properties | Always Visible” from the popup menu.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Add Map Object | Transportation Feature | Freeway… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Freeway to the background map. Freeways show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a Freeway, right-click on it and choose “Freeway Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a Freeway, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N To delete a Highway, right-click on it and choose “Highway Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu. To change the name of a Highway, right-click on it and choose "Highway Properties | Name..." from the popup menu. See Chapter 3 for details on naming roads. Add Map Object | Transportation Feature | Major Highway… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Major Highway to the background map.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Add Map Object | Transportation Feature | Street… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Street to the background map. Streets show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a Street, right-click on it and choose “Street Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a Street, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Add Map Object | Transportation Feature | Railroad… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Railroad to the background map. Railroads show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a Railroad, right-click on it and choose “Railroad Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a Street, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Add Map Object | Water Feature | Channel… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Channel to the background map. Channels show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a Channels, right-click on it and choose “Channel Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a Channel, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N To change the name of a Dry Lake, right-click on it and choose "Dry Lake Properties | Name..." from the popup menu. Add Map Object | Water Feature | Dry River… Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add a Dry River to the background map. Dry Rivers show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a Dry River, right-click on it and choose “Dry River Properties | Edit” from the popup menu.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 To delete a Glacier, right-click on it and choose “Glacier Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu. To change the name of a Glacier, right-click on it and choose "Glacier Properties | Name..." from the popup menu. Add Map Object Intermittent Lake… | Water Feature | Right-click on the background map and choose this menu selection to add an Intermittent Lake to the background map. Intermittent Lakes show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Intermittent Rivers show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of an Intermittent River, right-click on it and choose “Intermittent River Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to an Intermittent River, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Rivers show up on the map only if the map is zoomed in enough. To edit the shape of a River, right-click on it and choose “River Properties | Edit” from the popup menu. To add a node to a River, double-click on an existing node. Click and drag a node to move the node to a new position. To delete a River, right-click on it and choose “River Properties | Delete…” from the popup menu.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Alert bar | Color… Change the non-alert color of the alert bar. default color is green. The Alert bar | Effect | Sunken Give the alert bar a sunken appearance. Alert bar | Effect | Flat Give the alert bar a flat appearance. Alert bar | Effect | Raised Give the alert bar a raised appearance. Align… Opens the “Align Map” dialog. This dialog is used to change the center and radius of the background map.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Caption… Change the caption used to label the counter. The caption appears in the lower-left corner of the counter and may not be moved. Color… Change the color of the selected object. Delete… Right-click on a map feature and choose "Delete..." on the map feature’s sub-menu to delete a map feature. You will be asked to confirm the deletion. Edit Right-click on a map feature and choose this menu selection to edit the shape of the selected map feature.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Effect | Raised Draw the selected text object so that it assumes a raised appearance. This effect appears best when the object in question is not very light or very dark in color. Effect | Sunken Draw the selected text object so that it assumes a sunken appearance. This effect appears best when the object in question is not very light or very dark in color. Font… Change the font used to draw the selected object.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Graph length | 3 hours Make the length of the graph 3 hours. Graph length | 6 hours Make the length of the graph 6 hours. Graph length | 12 hours Make the length of the graph 12 hours. Graph length | 24 hours Make the length of the graph 24 hours. Layers> Open the sub-menu that displays the list of all map layers. Checking a layer makes that layer visible; unchecking a layer hides that map object layer. Layers | Order… Display the Layer Order dialog.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Outline | Color… Change the color of the line used to draw the outline of the selected object. Some objects (such as the azimuth radials in the raw lightning data window) consist only of an outline. Outline | Width… Change the width of the line used to draw the outline of the selected object. Some objects (such as rivers and roads) consist only of an outline, so changing the width of their outline changes their width.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Red alert | Color… Change the color that is used to draw the selected object during the period when the associated count is at or above the red alert level. Red alert | Effect | Flat Cause the object to take on a flat appearance when a red alert is in effect. Red alert | Effect | Raised Cause the object to take on a raised appearance when a red alert is in effect. This effect looks best if the object is not very light or very dark in color.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N red alert. The value for the red alert trigger level may not be set below the value for the yellow alert trigger level. Refresh Redraw the window. Reset record… Causes the record value (and time) for the counter to be reset to zero. Settings | Auto Zoom Turns on auto-zoom for the window. When this option is selected, the window will automatically re-zoom every few minutes so that all lightning activity is visible.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 exactly what the lightning detection hardware is seeing. Size… Change the size of the selected object. Software squelch… Displays the Software Squelch dialog. This dialog lets you choose to not display strokes (or flashes, when in flash mode, simple mode or advanced mode) from the weakest storms. Sound… Activates the Click Sound Dialog. This enables you to choose from several click sounds to be played when each lightning stroke is detected.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Threat Assessment Properties> Display the sub-menu containing the properties applicable to the Threat Assessment window. Yellow alert | Color… Change the color that is used to draw the selected object during the period when the associated count is at or above the yellow alert level. Yellow alert | Effect | Flat Cause the object to take on a flat appearance when a yellow alert is in effect.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Yellow alert | Trigger level… The selected counter must reach or exceed this level to trigger the sound and color associated with a yellow alert. The value for the yellow alert trigger level may not be set above the red alert trigger level.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 9 Using the Dialogs Align Map • Hardware Settings • Range Scaling • Screen Captures • Alarm Properties • Stroke Click Sound • Stroke Types • E-Mail Options • FTP Options • Custom Summary Manager • Text Message Settings • Software Squelch • Settings • Graph Stroke Types and Colors • Layer Order This chapter is a reference that describes the options and effects of the various dialog boxes that you can use to configure the system.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Align Map Dialog This dialog allows you to cause the supplied background map to be drawn at any scale you wish. See “Customizing the Map” in Chapter 2 for more information on using the background map. Radius Specify here the radius of the background map. Changing the radius merely zooms the map in or out until the edge of the map nearest the center is the specified distance from the center. Center map Put the center of the map (i.e. your location) at the center of the window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Hardware Settings Dialog This dialog allows you to change settings related to the lightning detector hardware. Hardware enabled Check this box to enable the detection of lightning from your lightning detector.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 XP), this button can be checked, otherwise it will be grayed out. If you are running under Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you must install the device driver located in the Lightning/2000 directory. Failure to install this driver first will result in unpredictable behavior of the program. See chapter 2 for device driver installation instructions. StormTracker (PCI) If you are using the StormTracker PCI card, check this box.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N These are the "North/South" channel and the "East/West" channel. This had the effect of causing most legitimate strokes to show up as reflections. This problem was easily fixed in Lightning/2000 by reversing those channels. In other words, the data from the North/South channel is interpreted as having come from the East/West channel and vice versa.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 setting (0 or 1), there may be an unacceptably high number of noises. Very low squelch settings also seem to increase the number of reflections. Because of the LD-350’s increased sensitivity, you will be able to detect substantially more strokes from storms when using the lower squelch values. However you will also detect more electrical noises.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Consult the lightning detector hardware's manual for instructions on how to adjust this value. This value is only adjustable when using the StormTracker ISA hardware under Windows 95 or Windows 98. If using the StormTracker ISA under a later operating system (using the provided “genport” driver), and the board address is not the default value, the driver’s .inf file will need to be modified.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 It is not normally necessary to check this box. Use Turbo Mode This option is only available if the computer running Lightning/2000 has multiple processors (or “cores”). Check this option to enable Lightning/2000 to query the Boltek StormTracker hardware as often as your computer will allow. When operating in turbo mode, Lightning/2000 creates a separate process that does nothing but query the lightning detection hardware.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N You should only check this option if problems have been encountered during the normal operation of Lightning/2000. If you believe that not checking this box results in unstable operation of Lightning/2000, please contact our technical support at support@aninoquisi.com. This option is only available when using the StormTracker PCI or LD-350 hardware.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 factors will affect how strokes are drawn in the Real-time lightning window. Note: The range of the special “nearby flashes” will not be affected by changes made in the Range Scaling Dialog. These flashes’ ranges are calculated by a special method and are known to be relatively nearby. Since the special circular nearby storm’s range is calculated using only “nearby flashes”, its range will also not be affected by changes made in this dialog.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N encompass the area not included in the first three sectors. These limitations are calculated automatically. There is no need for you to ensure that there are no “gaps” in the angular coverage of the different range scales for the different sectors. The circle to the right of the start and end bearing boxes indicates the area of the circle that the sector encompasses. The left side of the graph indicates how far away you want a storm to be drawn.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 happen in particular when a small storm first appears, or when the stroke rate is low. Storm’s angular influence Storms that are close to one another in azimuth tend to be ranged in a similar fashion. This can lead to range problems when storms are not associated with an organized area of thunderstorms. The angular influence is expressed in degrees.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Screen Captures Dialog This dialog allows you to save an image of the Real-time Lightning window, the Analysis window, the Threat Assessment window, the Rates window, the Totals window , the Custom Summary window, the Summary and NOWCast windows to a file. Each of the files may be automatically uploaded to a website using the FTP feature (see FTP Options Dialog).
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 proportional to the size of the screen capture image and cannot be changed. When using a BMP or JPG image as a background map, the size of the screen capture image will be the size of the background map image and cannot be changed. Enabled This box must be checked for the image capture to be performed. Width The width of the image to be saved. This is the width of the image and does not have to be the same as the width of the real-time lightning window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Leave this field blank if you don't want to save an image in BMP format. Filename for .png image capture The name of the file to receive a PNG image. You can save the image to a PNG file, a JPG file, a BMP file, or all three. Leave this field blank if you don't want to save an image in PNG format. The advantage of the PNG format is that it is a lossless format and generally results in a smaller file size than a JPEG. Filename for .
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 to be performed. For example, if you specify a minimum of 10 strokes/minute and the stroke count when the screen capture is produced is only 5 strokes/minute, the screen capture will not be performed. Since no screen capture is performed, no FTP upload of the file will be done (if that option is enabled). When this count is changed for any screen capture, it is changed for all of the screen captures you have enabled.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Width The width of the stroke rate graph image. This width does not have to be the same as the width of the Stroke Rate History window. Height The height of the stroke rate graph image. This height does not have to be the same as the height of the Stroke Rate History window. Auto-save interval This is how often the graph’s image will be saved to a file. Filename for .
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Analysis tab of the Screen Captures Dialog contains options for saving an image of the Analysis window to a file. Enabled This box must be checked for the Analysis image capture to be performed. Width The width of the image to be saved. This does not have to be the same as the width of the Analysis window. Height The height of the image to be saved. This does not have to be the same as the height of the Analysis window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Filename for .png image capture The name of the file to receive the PNG image of the Analysis window. The advantage of the PNG format is that it is a lossless format and generally results in a smaller file size than a JPEG. Filename for .jpg image capture The name of the file to receive the JPG image of the Analysis window. Auto-save interval How often the Analysis image will be saved to a file.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Threat Assessment tab of the Screen Captures dialog contains options for saving an image of the Threat Assessment window to a file. Enabled This box must be checked for the Threat Assessment image capture to be performed. Width The width of the image to be saved. This does not have to be the same as the width of the Threat Assessment window. Height The height of the image to be saved. This does not have to be the same as the height of the Threat Assessment window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Filename for .png image capture The name of the file to receive the PNG image of the Threat Assessment window. The advantage of the PNG format is that it is a lossless format and generally results in a smaller file size than a JPEG. Filename for .jpg image capture The name of the file to receive the JPG image of the Threat Assessment window. Auto-save interval How often the Threat Assessment image will be saved to a file.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Counters tab of the Screen Captures dialog contains options for saving images of the Rates and Totals windows to files. Rates Enabled This box must be checked for the Rates window image capture to be performed. Filename for .png image capture The name of the file to receive the PNG image of the Rates window. The advantage of the PNG format is that it is a lossless format and generally results in a smaller file size than a JPEG.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Filename for .jpg image capture The name of the file to receive the JPG image of the Rates window. Percentage of full size How large to make the screen capture. A value of 100% will result in an image that is exactly the same size as the Rates window. Auto-save interval How often the Rates window image will be saved to a file. Totals Enabled This box must be checked for the Totals window image capture to be performed. Filename for .
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Auto-save interval How often the Totals window image will be saved to a file. Minimum strokes/minute This is the fewest strokes per minute that must be counted at the time of the screen capture in order for the screen capture to be performed. For example, if you specify a minimum of 10 strokes/minute and the stroke count when the screen capture is produced is only 5 strokes/minute, the screen capture will not be performed.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Enabled This box must be checked for the NOWCast to be saved to a file. Filename for .txt file The name of the file to receive the periodic NOWCast. The file is in standard text format. Auto-save interval How often to save the NOWCast. Minimum strokes/minute This is the fewest strokes per minute that must be counted at the time of the screen capture in order for the screen capture to be performed.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 The Summary tab of the Screen Captures dialog contains options for saving the current summary to a text file. Enabled This box must be checked for the Summary to be saved to a file. Filename for .txt file The name of the file to receive the periodic Summary. The file is in standard text format. Auto-save interval How often to save the Summary.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N to be performed. For example, if you specify a minimum of 10 strokes/minute and the stroke count when the screen capture is produced is only 5 strokes/minute, the screen capture will not be performed. Since no screen capture is performed, no FTP upload of the file will be done (if that option is enabled). When this count is changed for any screen capture, it is changed for all of the screen captures you have enabled.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Auto-save interval How often to save the Custom Summary. Minimum strokes/minute This is the fewest strokes per minute that must be counted at the time of the screen capture in order for the screen capture to be performed. For example, if you specify a minimum of 10 strokes/minute and the stroke count when the screen capture is produced is only 5 strokes/minute, the screen capture will not be performed.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Alarm Properties Dialog This dialog allows you to configure how a particular alarm sounds. Alarms are triggered by the various red and yellow alert criteria. Enabled Check this box to enable the playing of a sound for the alarm in question. No sound will play if this box is not checked. Sound file Use these three controls to select the sound file to be played for the alarm. Any sound file in .
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 an alarm. Select the disk drive and directory on the right hand side; select the file to be used in the box on the left hand side. Repeat interval This is the minimum interval of time that will elapse between times the sound is played for the particular alarm. Test button After clicking on a sound file, press this button to preview the sound.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N lightning activity, a maximum of 10 clicks per second will sound. Enabled This box must be checked for any sound to play. Default click/IC click Use the arrows to select from click number 1 to click number 21. Each click has a slightly different sound. This sound will be played for each stroke detected when using the LD-250, or for the IC strokes detected when using the StormTracker.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Stroke Types Dialog The Stroke Types dialog enables you to customize how lightning strokes appear in the Raw Lightning Data window and the Real-time Lightning window. Lightning strokes are shown on the screen as one of six ages. The default settings for the ages are: 1 second, 10 seconds, 60 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 20 minutes. The default settings use decreasing sizes for the older strokes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N so that it overlaps the time interval occupied by the next or previous age. The oldest stroke that can be displayed is 60 minutes old. Change the color of any stroke type by clicking the Color… button beneath the stroke type. Disable the appearance of a stroke type by unchecking the check box next to the name of the stroke type. You can disable the appearance of an entire age of strokes by unchecking the check box at the top of the page for that age.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 E-Mail Options Dialog Lightning/2000 has the ability to send an email when lightning activity is detected within a specified distance. The e-mail contains various statistics concerning recent lightning activity. Even a single stroke that is determined to be within the distance you specify is enough to trigger the sending of an email.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Enabled This box must be checked to enable the e-mail feature. However an e-mail may still be sent using the Custom Summary command #SendEmail, assuming that all of the required information in the dialog box has been entered. If using the alternate Custom Summary method of sending email, ensure that the “Enabled” box is not checked. This will prevent multiple e-mails from being sent out when only one should be sent.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 options are selected, the title of the email will be automatically generated. Email Contents: Images Each of the selected images will be included in the email. For an image to be selectable, you must have enabled that image’s screen capture. See the “Screen Capture Dialog” for details. If you select no images, then the email will contain only the text selected in the “Text” section.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N SMTP host name This is the name of your SMTP mail server. SMTP port The port number used by the SMTP server. The default value should not be changed unless your SMTP server requires a different port to be used. Recipients This is a list of e-mail addresses to which the automatically generated e-mail is sent. Add e-mail addresses by clicking the “Add…” button.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Username The username you use to log on to the SMTP mail server. Typically, this is only your username, but some internet service providers require that you enter your full email address. Password The password associated with the username used to log on to the SMTP mail server.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N FTP Options Dialog 197
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Lightning/2000 can automatically upload the various screen capture files (see Screen Captures Dialog) to a website. All of the automatically captured files that are generated will be uploaded. At least one of the automatic screen captures (real-time lightning, summary, or nowcast) must be enabled to utilize this feature. While the files are being transferred to your FTP server, Lightning/2000 will have a reduced ability to detect lightning.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N User name This is the name used to log on to the remote server. Password This is the password associated with the user name. Remote directory If the screen capture image is to be sent to a subdirectory on the remote server, that subdirectory name must be entered here. Passive mode Using passive mode is the default. You should only uncheck this box if your server does not support passive mode.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Custom Summary Manager Dialog This dialog allows you to manage all aspects of the custom summaries that are running. You may add or delete custom summaries here. Display this dialog by choosing Options | Custom Summary Manager… from the main menu, or Custom Summary Manager… from the right-click menu in the Custom Summary window or Status Line.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Custom Summary Templates Lists all of the custom summary templates currently being processed. Click on one of them to edit various properties of the custom summary. Add… Select a custom summary template to add to those currently being processed. Edit… Open an editor window to edit the selected custom summary template. Remove… Remove the selected custom summary from those that are being processed.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Status Line Check this box if you want to route the output (if any) of the selected custom summary to the Status Line. File Check this box if you want to route the output (if any) of the selected custom summary to a file. You will need to specify the name of a text file to receive the output of the custom summary. Change… Select a file to receive the output of the selected custom summary.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N click “Yes”, you will be presented with a 7-digit number that you must then enter into the dialog box in Lightning/2000. Because of Twitter’s rules, no status update will be posted more often than every 5 minutes. Also, the text of anything posted to Twitter cannot exceed 140 characters. Anything longer than that will be truncated to 140 characters.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Text Message Settings Dialog This dialog is accessed from the Custom Summary Manager by pressing the “Settings…” button. In order to send e-mails or text messages, you will need to fill out the information in the E-Mail Options dialog (Server tab). Recipients Enter the e-mail addresses of those you wish to receive the message. Use the “Add…” button to add a new recipient; use the “Delete” button to delete the highlighted recipient.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N phone number (212-555-1111 for example) for several of the major service providers: Verizon: AT&T: T-Mobile: Sprint: Virgin Mobile: US Cellular: Nextel: Boost Mobile: Alltel: 2125551111@vtext.com 2125551111@txt.att.net 2125551111@tmomail.net 2125551111@messaging.sprintpcs.com 2125551111@vmobl.com 2125551111@email.uscc.net 2125551111@messaging.nextel.com 2125551111@myboostmobile.com 2125551111@message.alltel.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Software Squelch Dialog Allows you to eliminate the display of strokes or flashes from the weakest storms. The value you enter for the cutoff percentage determines which strokes will be displayed. Entering zero as the cutoff percentage will allow all strokes to be plotted. Entering 100 as the cutoff percentage will cause only strokes in the strongest storm at any given moment to be plotted.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Settings Dialog This dialog is displayed by choosing Options | Settings… from the main menu. Title Add custom text to the title bar of Lightning/2000.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Mute sound When this box is checked, none of the alarm sounds will play. Metric units Checking this box causes kilometers to be used instead of miles. Archive noises When this box is unchecked, only strokes will be saved to the daily archive files. It is useful if you have a persistent noise problem and do not wish to waste hard disk space by saving noises. Each noise saved consumes 21 bytes of disk space.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N CID strokes for this option to be used. Many thunderstorms that don’t produce high stroke counts (storms in the wintertime in the U.S. and many storms in European countries) do not produce CID strokes, or produce them in such low numbers that those strokes are not useful for nearby flash determination. The results observed when this option was checked during several rounds of severe weather in the U.S.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Strokes that are deemed to be reflections will be placed into the correct, unreflected flash. Reflection Rejection - Medium Sets the reflection rejection level to a moderate value. This setting should be adequate for most installations. Most reflections will be rejected, though some may still leak through. Most actual lightning strokes will be drawn, though some could be rejected incorrectly as reflections.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Alarm Levels Change this setting to alter the yellow and red alert levels for all of the rate counters. Changing this value to 50% for example will cause the yellow and red alerts to be triggered at one-half of their default values. This is convenient if you live in an area that does not often see thunderstorms intense enough to trigger the alerts on a regular basis.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 You can change the types of strokes or flashes or other information displayed on the graph by clicking the appropriate checkboxes. Stroke and flash rates may not be displayed on the graph at the same time. Other information such as stroke type percentages may only be displayed by themselves. The one exception to this is that CID strokes may be displayed on the same graph as the various flash types.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Layer Order Dialog This dialog is displayed by right-clicking on the map and choosing “Layers | Order…” from the popup menu. Click and drag a layer’s name to a new position. You may also use the “Move Up” and “Move Down” buttons to move a layer up or down in the list. The “Restore Defaults” button restores the layers to their normal drawing order.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Chapter 10 Selected Topics Raw Lightning Data vs. Real-time Lightning • Alerts • Energy • Noises • Range Determination • Strong Strokes • Antenna Placement • Troubleshooting This chapter contains observations and information on several important topics. Raw Lightning Data vs. Real-time Lightning Lightning/2000 offers several ways to view storms, including several windows that plot lightning data on a map.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 On the other hand, the Raw Lightning Data window, by its nature, causes flashes (or strokes) to be spread out from the center of the window to its edges. Because of this, it is much easier to view details of storm characteristics and structure. Seeing the relative abundance of intercloud versus cloud-toground lightning, as well as the relative intensities of the various stroke types is an invaluable asset when judging the severity of a storm.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N • +CG flash rate • -CG flash rate • IC flash rate • +IC flash rate • -IC flash rate • IC stroke rate • +IC stroke rate • -IC stroke rate • CG stroke rate • +CG stroke rate • -CG stroke rate • IC stroke rate change • +IC stroke rate change • -IC stroke rate change • CG stroke rate change • +CG stroke rate change • -CG stroke rate change • storm range • o Analysis window o Real-time lightning window general alert
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 specified. This particular alarm is a good gross indicator of how a storm is varying in intensity minute by minute (and even second by second for a rapidly strengthening or weakening storm). The stroke rate history window provides a visual history of the short-term changes in the total lightning activity. The energy ratio alert is triggered when the energy ratio rises above the trigger level. This alarm usually provides a good indication of whether a storm is very close or not.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N storms will end up having an energy ratio higher than 1. Their energy ratio is greater than 100%. Most days, the amount of energy detected will by less than or equal to the total number of strokes detected. Only on days when storms are near your location for many hours will the total energy exceed the total number of strokes. Noises Noises are electrical activity that cannot be identified as actual lightning strokes.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Sources of noise aren't always nearby or easy to identify. A Lightning/2000 user in Texas identified a persistent source of noise as belonging to huge electric motors at a pulp mill 100 miles away! Range Determination When Lightning/2000 detects lightning, the lightning strokes are examined to determine if they are occurring within storms. The range of a storm from the lightning detector is determined based on the characteristics of the lightning strokes that make up the storm.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Nearby Flashes With the advent of version 4.6, we are for the first time able to say with confidence that a particular lightning flash is relatively nearby. This is a substantial advance over the previous method that required the examination of groups of flashes to come up with a range. When a nearby flash is registered (as shown by the Nearby Flashes counter), it is a sure sign that a storm is relatively nearby (usually within 25 miles or 40 km).
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Sending E-mail via The Custom Summary If you wish to utilize the Custom Summary window to send an automatically generated e-mail, rather than the Email Options Dialog, you will need to add a few lines to your custom summary template file. Also, you must ensure that all of the required information is entered into the Email Options Dialog and that the “Enabled” check box in that dialog box is not checked.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Many users are under the impression that a very high antenna placement is necessarily a better one. This however is not the case. A very high (> 10m or 30 ft.) antenna placement can cause some unusual problems -- problems that were not anticipated before the advent of Lightning/2000. A very high antenna tends to be very sensitive to the low amplitude electrical impulses produced by a storm.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Aside from a reasonable antenna height, the antenna needs to be placed as far away from large metal objects as possible. Small bits of metal (such as the small nails used to attach shingles to the roof) have almost no effect on the detection of lightning by your detector.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N window. Either of these are sure signs that there is a hardware problem. If you suspect you have a problem with electrical noise, rather than a problem with the lightning detection hardware itself, move the antenna slightly from its normal due north orientation. If the pattern of strokes in the Raw Lightning Data window rotates as you rotate the antenna, it is likely that the source of the problem is outside the lightning detection hardware.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Appendix A A Lightning Primer Thunderstorms and Lightning Types • Recognizing Patterns of Strokes • Lightning as an Indicator of Storm Behavior • The Stroke Sort Process and Other Limitations • Additional Information Sources Thunderstorms and Lightning Types Isolated Thunderstorm Cell This examination of thunderstorms will focus on the charge distributions and as a result the types of lightning produced.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N The most common type of lightning that most people are familiar with is the negative cloud to ground discharge (CG). This type of lightning originates in the main negative layer (in figure #1). The lightning discharge begins with step leaders, a sequence of discrete branched steps from below the negative charge in the cloud to the ground, which ionizes the path.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 degrees. The IC stroke lacks the single large pulse of charge flow that the –CG return stroke has so that the signals from the +IC strokes are much weaker than –CG strokes, by a factor that varies from 10 to 100 times smaller. An additional type of stroke is the positive cloud to ground discharge (+CG) with two possibilities shown in figure 4.
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L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 During the dissipating stage of thunderstorms the lower negative charge may have been mostly removed by –CG strokes leaving the main positive charge. At this stage of the storm there will be a larger number of +CG strokes than – CG strokes. This condition is shown in figure 5. The primary stroke types in well-developed thunderstorms with charge distributions shown in figure 1 are +IC and –CG.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N storm cell between the two main bodies of negative and positive charge. Organized Cell Complexes If a cell is part of a squall line or a mesoscale convective system (MCS) then it may have a charge distribution similar to figure 6. Near the convective core there are two main charge layers, an upper positive charge above the main lower negative charge, just as in figure 1. There is a smaller positive charge below the main negative charge.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Another type of intracloud stroke seems to crawl (spider lightning) below the bottoms of the stratiform area or in other cases below the anvil formations of thunderstorms. This type of stroke can produce a movement of charge that can be seen as –IC or as +IC depending on whether the charge is carried to or away from the detector, and in some cases be undetected if the orientation of the charge movement relative to the detector is entirely horizontal.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Recognizing Patterns of Strokes The direction of movement of a storm cell relative to the single station detector can supply additional information in many cases. Consider the case of a single storm cell due north of the detector where the storm cell is moving due east. If the storm is producing mostly –CG strokes (near the convective core) and a few +CG from the anvil the pattern could look like figure 10.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 with a few +CG out in front. But there would also be an additional number of +CG strokes trailing the storm’s movement (a larger number than from the anvil). This condition is shown in figure 11. Published research discloses that a few measurements of charge distributions show apparent inverted structures (inverted dipole) in some severe storms.
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L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Lightning as an Indicator of Storm Behavior The following description of a thunderstorm’s intensity relates to a thunderstorm’s development of an updraft in a single storm cell. In each of these cases one can think of them as a continuum of storm cell severity. 1.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N larger values and the lower negative charge becomes sufficiently large to induce a positive charge on the ground below the cloud. At this point –CG strokes will start to occur. If the updraft does not increase in strength then the storm cell will produce mainly IC (both +IC and –IC) flashes with –CG lightning. The ratio of these types (IC to –CG) will be somewhere between 1 to 1 and 4 to 1. A normal ratio for –CG and +CG would be around 10 to 1. 2.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 3. IC and CG lightning in a ratio of 1-1 to 4-1 and –CG and +CG in a ratio of 10-1 – this is a normal storm cell 4. Heavy IC lightning and minimal –CG lightning, ratio of IC to CG lightning is 6-1 to 20-1, the ratio of –CG to +CG is about 1-1, and the IC rate approaches 40 to 50 flashes a minute – this storm cell is borderline supercell 5.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N A storm cell over a high mountain peak could be the cause of a higher –CG count (the distance from the peak to the negative charge is smaller). This may result in a reduced IC stroke count, and as a result of the excess positive charge remaining also a higher +CG stroke count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Other Storm Types In limited cases lightning can also indicate a change in the character of a hurricane. Lightning production in hurricanes is usually minimal except during intensification of the storm as it passes over warmer water, then there will be bursts of lightning activity in the inner wall near the eye. Or if the hurricane changes in structure as it comes onshore, then a tornado producing cell may be generated in the outer wall.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N will suffer. Also, at large distances the signal will degrade and some of the information content of the signal necessary for stroke classification will be lost in the background noise. This will vary from stroke to stroke. At extreme range, reflections from the ionosphere can cause an inversion of the information used to determine the polarity of the stroke type which will in turn cause the stroke to be plotted 180 degrees from its true location.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Type % of all % of recognized Records stroke records Noise 25.0 --------- -CG 42.8 56.9 +CG 19.5 25.9 -IC 3.7 4.9 +IC 7.6 10.1 +CID 0.9 1.2 -CID 0.67 0.5 Additional Information Sources Additional information about lightning can be found on the internet by searching for published works by the following authors. References in these should lead you to additional authors and topics in lightning and storm research.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N M. A. Uman C. D. Weidman And an excellent look at a lightning locator design in detail can be found on the internet at the following location. http://bub2.met.psu.edu/default.htm A very good tutorial on basic electrification and lightning activity can be found at the indicated location and a second tutorial on anomalous lightning behavior should become available soon. http://www.cira.colostate.edu/ramm/visit/ltgmet1/01_title.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Appendix B Alphabetical Keyword List This is an alphabetical list of all of the keywords that may be used in the Custom Summary window. For details, see Appendix D (Custom Summary Command and Keywords).
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @DetectionCount( N ) @DistantSevereThunderstormCount @DistantStormCount @DistantStrongThunderstormCount @DistantThundershowerCount @DistantThunderstormCount @FlashCount( N ) @FormatInteger( N ) @HardwareType @HourOfDay @ICFlashCount( N ) @ICNegativeFlashCount( N ) @ICNegativeStrokeCount( N ) @ICPositiveFlashCount( N ) @ICPositiveStrokeCount( N ) @ICStrokeCount( N ) @InitialMemoryUsagePhysical @InitialMemoryUsageVirtual @L2Kfolder @LightningDetectedIn @LocalDate @LocalTime @MaxCl
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @MemoryUsagePhysical @MemoryUsageVirtual @MinutesSinceEmailSent @MinutesSinceFTP @MinutesSinceMidnight @NoiseCount( N ) @NumRedAlerts @NumYellowAlerts @PeakCGFlashCount( N ) @PeakCGFlashCountTime @PeakCGNegativeFlashCount( N ) @PeakCGNegativeFlashCountTime @PeakCGNegativeStrokeCount( N ) @PeakCGNegativeStrokeCountTime @PeakCGPositiveFlashCount( N ) @PeakCGPositiveFlashCountTime @PeakCGPositiveStrokeCount( N ) @PeakCGPositiveStrokeCountTime @PeakCGStro
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @PeakEnergyRatioTime @PeakFlashCount( N ) @PeakFlashCountTime @PeakICFlashCount( N ) @PeakICFlashCountTime @PeakICNegativeFlashCount( N ) @PeakICNegativeFlashCountTime @PeakICNegativeStrokeCount( N ) @PeakICNegativeStrokeCountTime @PeakICPositiveFlashCount( N ) @PeakICPositiveFlashCountTime @PeakICPositiveStrokeCount( N ) @PeakICPositiveStrokeCountTime @PeakICStrokeCount( N ) @PeakICStrokeCountTime @PeakNoiseCount( N ) @PeakNoiseCountTime @PeakStrokeCount( N ) @PeakStrokeCountTi
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @PercentageStrongFlashes( N ) @RatioCGPositiveToCGNegativeFlashes( N ) @RatioCGPositiveToCGNegativeStrokes( N ) @RatioCGStrokesPerFlash( N ) @RatioICPositiveToICNegativeFlashes( N ) @RatioICPositiveToICNegativeStrokes( N ) @RatioICStrokesPerFlash( N ) @RatioICToCGFlashes( N ) @RatioICToCGStrokes( N ) @RatioStrokesPerFlash( N ) @RecordCGFlashCount @RecordCGFlashCountDate @RecordCGFlashCountTime @RecordCGNegativeFlashCount @RecordCGNegativeFlashCountDat
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordCGStrokeCount @RecordCGStrokeCountDate @RecordCGStrokeCountTime @RecordCIDCount @RecordCIDCountDate @RecordCIDCountTime @RecordEnergyRatio @RecordEnergyRatioDate @RecordEnergyRatioTime @RecordFlashCount @RecordFlashCountDate @RecordFlashCountTime @RecordICFlashCount @RecordICFlashCountDate @RecordICFlashCountTime @RecordICNegativeFlashCount @RecordICNegativeFlashCountDate @RecordICNegativeFlashCountTime @RecordICNegativeStrokeCount @RecordICNegativeStrokeCountDate @Record
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordICPositiveStrokeCountDate @RecordICPositiveStrokeCountTime @RecordICStrokeCount @RecordICStrokeCountDate @RecordICStrokeCountTime @RecordNoiseCount @RecordNoiseCountDate @RecordNoiseCountTime @RecordStrokeCount @RecordStrokeCountDate @RecordStrokeCountTime @RecordStrongFlashCount @RecordStrongFlashCountDate @RecordStrongFlashCountTime @RecordTotalCGFlashes @RecordTotalCGFlashesDate @RecordTotalCGNegativeFlashes @RecordTotalCGNegativeFlashesDate
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordTotalCGStrokesDate @RecordTotalCID @RecordTotalCIDDate @RecordTotalEnergy @RecordTotalEnergyDate @RecordTotalFlashes @RecordTotalFlashesDate @RecordTotalICStrokes @RecordTotalICStrokesDate @RecordTotalICFlashes @RecordTotalICFlashesDate @RecordTotalICNegativeFlashes @RecordTotalICNegativeFlashesDate @RecordTotalICNegativeStrokes @RecordTotalICNegativeStrokesDate @RecordTotalICPositiveFlashes @RecordTotalICPositiveFlashesDate @RecordTotalICPositiveStrokes @RecordTotalICPos
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RegionalSevereThunderstormCount @RegionalStormCount @RegionalStrongThunderstormCount @RegionalThundershowerCount @RegionalThunderstormCount @StrokeCount( N ) @StrongFlashCount( N ) @TimeZone @TotalCGFlashCount @TotalCGNegativeFlashCount @TotalCGNegativeStrokeCount @TotalCGPositiveFlashCount @TotalCGPositiveStrokeCount @TotalCGStrokeCount @TotalCIDCount @TotalEnergyCount @TotalFlashCount @TotalICFlashCount @TotalICNegativeFlashCount @TotalICNegativeSt
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @TotalStrokeCount @TotalStrongFlashCount @TrendCGFlashRate( N ) @TrendCGNegativeFlashRate( N ) @TrendCGPositiveFlashRate( N ) @TrendCGStrokeRate( N ) @TrendCGNegativeStrokeRate( N ) @TrendCGPositiveStrokeRate( N ) @TrendCIDRate( N ) @TrendDetectionRate( N ) @TrendICFlashesPercentage( N ) @TrendFlashRate( N ) @TrendICFlashRate( N ) @TrendICNegativeFlashRate( N ) @TrendICPositiveFlashRate( N ) @TrendICStrokeRate( N ) @TrendICNegativeStrokeRate( N ) @TrendICPositiveStrokeRate( N )
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Appendix C Custom Summary Language Definition This is a formal description of the custom summary language, used in custom summary and status line template files. The symbol to the left of the ::= sign is replaced by the symbols to the right of the ::= sign. Symbols enclosed in curly brackets {} may be repeated any number of times, including zero times. The | character represents a choice between two different sets of symbols.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 ::= { } | { } ::= { } ::= + | ::= * | / | and | div ::= + | - | or | xor xor ::= | | ( ) | not | ::= @ | @ ( ) ::= |
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Appendix D Custom Summary Commands and Keywords Commands • Count Keywords • Date/Time Keywords • Miscellaneous Keywords • Peak Count Keywords • Percent and Ratio Keywords • Records Keywords • Total Count Keywords • Trend Keywords Commands A command is any word preceded by a # sign.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 By using the custom summary commands, a wide variety of actions may be taken. Screen captures may be produced (in addition to or instead of the normal automatic screen capture process). Text files may be produced, consisting of virtually any information, and then be sent to a server via FTP. Commands may be sent to a serial port to control external devices.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N #AlertStatusLineRed Sets the alert level of the general status line to red. A general status line red alert always remains in effect for at least 5 minutes. #AppendFile( ‘filename’, expression ) #AppendFile( ‘filename’, expression, expression, …, expression ) Writes a line of text to the end of a file. The previous contents of the file (if any) are preserved. The name of the file is specified in the ‘filename’ parameter.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 For example, the RGB value 255,0,0 is the brightest pure red that can be displayed; 0,255,0 equates to pure green; 0,0,255 produces a pure blue. Example: the command #BackgroundColor( 255,255,0 ) turns the Custom Summary window a brilliant yellow. If you use this command to signify an alert of some kind, be sure and return the window to its normal color once the alert condition is no longer in effect.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Any errors encountered during the execution of the #ConfigureSerialOutput command will be written to the Custom Summary window. #CustomSummaryUpdateInterval( Minutes ) Sets the number of minutes between updates of the Custom Summary window. The normal update interval is 1 minute. Permissible values for this command are from 1/60 to 60.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Here are the permissible forms for the command: #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Real-time Lightning’, ‘filename’, width, height ) #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Real-time Lightning’, ‘filename’, width, height, ‘place name’, radius ) #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Raw Lightning Data’, ‘filename’, width, height ) #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Graph’, ‘filename’, width, height ) #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Analysis’, ‘filename’, width, height ) #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Threat Assessment’, ‘filename’, width, height
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N is the relative size (from 1 to 100) of the full-sized image. The second form of the Real-time Lightning screen capture allows you to produce a screen capture image centered on a specific place. The radius is the distance from the center of the image to the edge, in miles or kilometers (depending on the setting selected by the “Options | Metric units” menu command).
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 ; send an email if ( @StrongFlashCount( 5 ) > 0 ) and ( @MinutesSinceEmailSent >= 30 ) then #SendEmail Other permissible formats of this command are: #SendEmail( ‘recipients’ ) #SendEmail( ‘recipients’, ‘email title’ ) #SendEmail( ‘recipients’, …, ‘attachment’ ) ‘email title’, ‘attachment’, This form of the command is used to send an email to a specific recipient, rather than the recipients listed in the Email Options dialog.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N #SerialOutput( ‘string’ ) Causes ‘string’ to be sent to a serial port. The name of the serial port may be specified by using the #ConfigureSerialOutput command. Any errors encountered during the execution of the #SerialOutput command will be written to the Custom Summary window. #Sound( 'filename' ) Causes a sound to be played.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 will appear on the same line. The expression may be either a quoted string, a mathematical expression (including keywords), or a combination. Multiple elements in the same #Write command may be concatenated with plus signs, or they may be separated by commas.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N #WriteLine( expression ) #WriteLine( expression, expression, …, expression ) Writes text to the custom summary window. Text written following anything written with this command will appear on a new line. The expression may be a quoted string, a mathematical expression (including keywords), or a combination. Multiple elements in the same #WriteLine command may be concatenated with plus signs, or they may be separated by commas.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 For example, the @CGFlashCount keyword will evaluate to the number of CG flashes in the last minute, but if you specify @CGFlashCount( 2 ), then it will evaluate to the number of CG flashes in the last 2 minutes. @CGFlashCount( 1 ) is identical to @CGFlashCount, and is also the same as @CGFlashCount( 0 ). A value of N that is greater than 60 could return an incorrect count. Keywords are not case sensitive, so @cgflashcount is identical to @CGFlashCount or @CGFLASHCOUNT.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @CloseSevereThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be severe thunderstorms that are at least partly inside the red alert range ring. @CloseStormCount The number of storms (as identified in the Analysis window) that are at least partly inside the red alert range ring.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @DistantSevereThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be severe thunderstorms that are completely outside the yellow alert range ring. @DistantStormCount The number of storms (as identified in the Analysis window) that are completely outside the yellow alert range ring.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @ICNegativeFlashCount( N ) The number of -IC flashes in the last N minutes. @ICNegativeStrokeCount( N ) The number of -IC strokes in the last N minutes. @ICPositiveFlashCount( N ) The number of +IC flashes in the last N minutes. @ICPositiveStrokeCount( N ) The number of +IC strokes in the last N minutes. @ICStrokeCount( N ) The number of IC strokes in the last N minutes. @NoiseCount( N ) The number of noises in the last N minutes.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RegionalStrongThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be strong thunderstorms that are outside the red alert range ring but inside the yellow alert range ring. @RegionalThundershowerCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be thundershowers that are outside the red alert range ring but inside the yellow alert range ring.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Date/Time Keywords Keywords are not case sensitive, so @localdate is identical to @LocalDate or @LOCALDATE. @DateFilename Returns a string suitable for use in a filename that includes the date. The format is always yyyymmdd. For example, if the date is December 25, 2010 then the returned string will be ‘20101225’. @DateTimeFilename Returns a string suitable for use in a filename that includes the date and time to the nearest second.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @LocalTime The local time, in the format defined on your computer. @MinutesSinceMidnight The number of minutes, to within a tenth of a minute, that have elapsed since midnight local time. @PeakCGFlashCountTime The time of today's peak CG flash count. @PeakCGNegativeFlashCountTime The time of today's peak -CG flash count. @PeakCGNegativeStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak -CG stroke count. @PeakCGPositiveFlashCountTime The time of today's peak +CG flash count.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @PeakEnergyCountTime The time of today’s peak energy count. @PeakEnergyRatioTime The time of today’s peak energy ratio. @PeakFlashCountTime The time of today's peak total flash count. @PeakICFlashCountTime The time of today's peak IC flash count. @PeakICNegativeFlashCountTime The time of today's peak -IC flash count. @PeakICNegativeStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak -IC stroke count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @PeakStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak stroke count. @PeakStrongFlashCountTime The time of today's peak strong (potentially nearby) flash count. @RecordCGFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record CG flash count. @RecordCGFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record CG flash count. @RecordCGNegativeFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record -CG flash count. @RecordCGNegativeFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record -CG flash count.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordCGPositiveStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record +CG stroke count. @RecordCGPositiveStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record +CG stroke count. @RecordCGStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record CG stroke count. @RecordCGStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record CG stroke count. @RecordCIDCountDate The date of the all-time record CID count. @RecordCIDCountTime The time of the all-time record CID count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordICFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record IC flash count. @RecordICFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record IC flash count. @RecordICNegativeFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record -IC flash count. @RecordICNegativeFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record -IC flash count. @RecordICNegativeStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record -IC stroke count. @RecordICNegativeStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record -IC stroke count.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordICStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record IC stroke count. @RecordICStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record IC stroke count. @RecordNoiseCountDate The date of the all-time record noise count. @RecordNoiseCountTime The time of the all-time record noise count. @RecordStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record stroke count. @RecordStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record stroke count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordTotalCGFlashesDate The date of the record daily CG flash total. @RecordTotalCGNegativeFlashes The record daily total of -CG flashes. @RecordTotalCGNegativeFlashesDate The date of the record daily -CG flash total. @RecordTotalCGNegativeStrokes The record daily total of -CG strokes. @RecordTotalCGNegativeStrokesDate The date of the record daily -CG stroke total. @RecordTotalCGPositiveFlashes The record daily total of +CG flashes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordTotalCGStrokesDate The date of the record daily CG stroke total. @RecordTotalCID The record daily total of CIDs. @RecordTotalCIDDate The date of the record daily CID total. @RecordTotalEnergy The record daily total of energy. @RecordTotalEnergyDate The date of the record daily energy total. @RecordTotalFlashes The record daily total of flashes. @RecordTotalFlashesDate The date of the record daily flash total.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordTotalICFlashesDate The date of the record daily IC flash total. @RecordTotalICNegativeFlashes The record daily total of -IC flashes. @RecordTotalICNegativeFlashesDate The date of the record daily -IC flash total. @RecordTotalICNegativeStrokes The record daily total of -IC strokes. @RecordTotalICNegativeStrokesDate The date of the record daily -IC stroke total. @RecordTotalICPositiveFlashes The record daily total of +IC flashes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordTotalNoisesDate The date of the record daily noise total. @RecordTotalStrokes The record daily total of strokes. @RecordTotalStrokesDate The date of the record daily stroke total. @RecordTotalStrongFlashes The record daily total of strong (potentially nearby) flashes. @RecordTotalStrongFlashesDate The date of the record daily total of strong (potentially nearby) flashes.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Miscellaneous Keywords Keywords are not case sensitive, so @localdate is identical to @LocalDate or @LOCALDATE. @AntennaType Returns 0 for the original Boltek antenna, 1 for the original prototype, and 2 for the final prototype. @CloseSevereThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be severe thunderstorms that are at least partly inside the red alert range ring.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @CloseThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be thunderstorms that are at least partly inside the red alert range ring. @CommandErrorCode Returns a value indicating whether or not the most recently executed command was processed successfully. If the command was processed with no problems, 0 is returned by this keyword. If a problem was encountered before the command could be executed, 1 is returned.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @DistantSevereThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be severe thunderstorms that are completely outside the yellow alert range ring. @DistantStormCount The number of storms (as identified in the Analysis window) that are outside the yellow alert range ring.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @HardwareType Returns a number indicating what type of lightning detection hardware is enabled. Valid values are: 0 (no hardware enabled), 1 (Boltek LD-250), 2 (Boltek PCI card), 3 (Boltek ISA card), and 4 (Boltek LD-350). @HourOfDay Returns a number from 0 to 23 representing the hour of the day. @InitialMemoryUsagePhysical The amount of memory in use by the computer in megabytes just before starting Lightning/2000.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 TN’ or ‘Davidson, TN’. sensitive. Place names are not case This keyword can be used to insert special text in the custom summary if lightning is detected in the specified place. It can also be used to send an email to someone in the specified place if lightning has been detected in their area. For example: If @MinutesSinceEmailSent( ‘sue@abc.com’ ) >= 30 then If @LightningDetectedIn( ‘Nashville’ ) then #ProduceScreenCapture( ‘Real-time Lightning’, ‘x.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N thundershower, 2 - a thunderstorm, 3 - a strong thunderstorm, 4 - a severe thunderstorm. @MaxRegionalIntensity The maximum intensity of any storm that lies outside the red alert range ring, but at least partly inside the yellow alert range ring. Possible return values are: 0 - no storm is present, 1 - a thundershower, 2 - a thunderstorm, 3 - a strong thunderstorm, 4 - a severe thunderstorm.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @MinutesSinceMidnight The number of minutes, to within a tenth of a minute, that have elapsed since midnight local time. @MinutesSinceTweet The number of minutes since Lightning/2000 last sent a status update to your Twitter account. Twitter status updates will be performed no more often than every five minutes. @NearbyStormRange The range in miles (or km if using metric units) to the center of the special “nearby” storm depicted in the Threat Assessment window.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RegionalStrongThunderstormCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be strong thunderstorms that are outside the red alert range ring, but at least partly inside the yellow alert range ring. @RegionalThundershowerCount The number of storms (as defined in the analysis window) determined to be thundershowers that are outside the red alert range ring, but at least partly inside the yellow alert range ring.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @VersionNumber A string representing Lightning/2000. the version number of Peak Count Keywords The @PeakXXXCount keywords return either the peak count for the day (since midnight local time), or the peak count within the last N minutes. The parameter "N" may be either a positive integer, or a positive real number. Real numbers less than 1 must start with a zero. For example, "0.1" is a valid parameter, but ".1" is not.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @PeakCGNegativeFlashCountTime The time of today's peak -CG flash count. @PeakCGNegativeStrokeCount( N ) Today's peak -CG stroke count, or the peak -CG stroke count in the last N minutes. @PeakCGNegativeStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak -CG stroke count. @PeakCGPositiveFlashCount( N ) Today's peak +CG flash count, or the peak +CG flash count in the last N minutes. @PeakCGPositiveFlashCountTime The time of today's peak +CG flash count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @PeakCIDCount( N ) Today's peak CID count, or the peak CID count in the last N minutes. @PeakCIDCountTime The time of today's peak CID count. @PeakEnergyCount Today’s peak energy count. @PeakEnergyCountTime The time of today’s peak energy count. @PeakEnergyRatio( N ) Today’s peak energy ratio, or the peak energy ratio in the past N minutes. @PeakEnergyRatioTime The time of today’s peak energy ratio.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @PeakICFlashCountTime The time of today's peak IC flash count. @PeakICNegativeFlashCount( N ) Today's peak -IC flash count, or the peak -IC flash count in the last N minutes. @PeakICNegativeFlashCountTime The time of today's peak -IC flash count. @PeakICNegativeStrokeCount( N ) Today's peak -IC stroke count, or the peak -IC stroke count in the last N minutes. @PeakICNegativeStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak -IC stroke count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @PeakICStrokeCount( N ) Today's peak IC stroke count, or the peak IC stroke count in the last N minutes. @PeakICStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak IC stroke count. @PeakNoiseCount( N ) Today's peak noise count, or the peak noise count in the last N minutes. @PeakNoiseCountTime The time of today's peak noise count. @PeakStrokeCount( N ) Today's peak stroke count, or the peak stroke count in the last N minutes. @PeakStrokeCountTime The time of today's peak stroke count.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Percent and Ratio Keywords Each of these keywords may be used with a ( N ) parameter. If the ( N ) parameter is not used, the keyword returns the percentage or ratio in the last minute. The parameter "N" may be either a positive integer, or a positive real number. Real numbers less than 1 must start with a zero. For example, "0.1" is a valid parameter, but ".1" is not. Legal values for the parameter N range from 0 to 60.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @PercentageICStrokes( N ) The percentage of total strokes that are IC strokes in the last N minutes. The percentage is a number between 0 and 100. @PercentageStrongFlashes( N ) The percentage of total flashes that are strong (potentially nearby) flashes in the last N minutes. The percentage is a number between 0 and 100. @RatioCGPositiveToCGNegativeFlashes( N ) The ratio of the +CG flash count to the -CG flash count over the last N minutes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RatioICPositiveToICNegativeStrokes( N ) The ratio of the +IC stroke count to the -IC stroke count over the last N minutes. @RatioICStrokesPerFlash( N ) The number of intercloud strokes per intercloud flash. If the parameter N is omitted, the keyword returns the number of IC strokes per IC flash in the last minute. Values for N greater than 60 minutes will not produce the correct output. This value typically increases as a storm approaches.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Records Keywords The @Record keywords return information about record values for the various counts that have been set on your computer. You can use the @Record keywords to display either the record value, the date of the record value, or the time of day that the record value was set. Keywords are not case sensitive, so @recordicflashcount is identical to @RecordICFlashCount or @RECORDICFLASHCOUNT. @RecordCGFlashCount The all-time record CG flash count.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordCGNegativeStrokeCount The all-time record -CG stroke count. @RecordCGNegativeStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record -CG stroke count. @RecordCGNegativeStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record -CG stroke count. @RecordCGPositiveFlashCount The all-time record +CG flash count. @RecordCGPositiveFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record +CG flash count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordCGStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record CG stroke count. @RecordCGStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record CG stroke count. @RecordCIDCount The all-time record CID count. @RecordCIDCountDate The date of the all-time record CID count. @RecordCIDCountTime The time of the all-time record CID count. @RecordEnergyRatio The all-time record energy ratio. @RecordEnergyRatioDate The date of the all-time record energy ratio.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record flash count. @RecordICFlashCount The all-time record IC flash count. @RecordICFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record IC flash count. @RecordICFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record IC flash count. @RecordICNegativeFlashCount The all-time record -IC flash count. @RecordICNegativeFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record -IC flash count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordICPositiveFlashCount The all-time record +IC flash count. @RecordICPositiveFlashCountDate The date of the all-time record +IC flash count. @RecordICPositiveFlashCountTime The time of the all-time record +IC flash count. @RecordICPositiveStrokeCount The all-time record +IC stroke count. @RecordICPositiveStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record +IC stroke count. @RecordICPositiveStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record +IC stroke count.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordNoiseCountDate The date of the all-time record noise count. @RecordNoiseCountTime The time of the all-time record noise count. @RecordStrokeCount The all-time record stroke count. @RecordStrokeCountDate The date of the all-time record stroke count. @RecordStrokeCountTime The time of the all-time record stroke count. @RecordStrongFlashCount The all-time record strong (potentially nearby) flash count.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordTotalCGFlashesDate The date of the record daily CG flash total. @RecordTotalCGNegativeFlashes The record daily total of -CG flashes. @RecordTotalCGNegativeFlashesDate The date of the record daily -CG flash total. @RecordTotalCGNegativeStrokes The record daily total of -CG strokes. @RecordTotalCGNegativeStrokesDate The date of the record daily -CG stroke total. @RecordTotalCGPositiveFlashes The record daily total of +CG flashes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordTotalCGStrokesDate The date of the record daily CG stroke total. @RecordTotalCID The record daily total of CIDs. @RecordTotalCIDDate The date of the record daily CID total. @RecordTotalEnergy The record daily total of energy. @RecordTotalEnergyDate The date of the record daily energy total. @RecordTotalFlashes The record daily total of flashes. @RecordTotalFlashesDate The date of the record daily flash total.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @RecordTotalICFlashesDate The date of the record daily IC flash total. @RecordTotalICNegativeFlashes The record daily total of -IC flashes. @RecordTotalICNegativeFlashesDate The date of the record daily -IC flash total. @RecordTotalICNegativeStrokes The record daily total of -IC strokes. @RecordTotalICNegativeStrokesDate The date of the record daily -IC stroke total. @RecordTotalICPositiveFlashes The record daily total of +IC flashes.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @RecordTotalNoisesDate The date of the record daily noise total. @RecordTotalStrokes The record daily total of strokes. @RecordTotalStrokesDate The date of the record daily stroke total. @RecordTotalStrongFlashes The record daily total of strong (potentially nearby) flashes. @RecordTotalStrongFlashesDate The date of the record daily strong (potentially nearby) flash total.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @TotalCGNegativeFlashCount The total number of -CG flashes today. @TotalCGNegativeStrokeCount The total number of -CG strokes today. @TotalCGPositiveFlashCount The total number of +CG flashes today. @TotalCGPositiveStrokeCount The total number of +CG strokes today. @TotalCGStrokeCount The total number of CG strokes today. @TotalCIDCount The total number of CIDs today. @TotalEnergyCount The total energy today. @TotalFlashCount The total number of flashes today.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @TotalICNegativeStrokeCount The total number of -IC strokes today. @TotalICPositiveFlashCount The total number of +IC flashes today. @TotalICPositiveStrokeCount The total number of +IC strokes today. @TotalICStrokeCount The total number of IC strokes today. @TotalNoiseCount The total number of noises today. @TotalStormCount The current number of storms, as identified in the analysis window. @TotalStrokeCount The total number of strokes today.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 Trend Keywords The @Trend keywords return the percentage change in one of the stroke or flash rates. If the N parameter is not specified, the keyword returns the percent change in the rate between one minute ago and the current time. Values for N that are less than 1 are not allowed, and will return the same value as when no parameter is specified. The parameter "N" may be either a positive integer, or a positive real number. Legal values for N are from 1 to 1440.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Keywords are not case sensitive, so @trendcgflashrate is identical to @TrendCGFlashRate or @TRENDCGFLASHRATE. @TrendCGFlashRate( N ) The percentage change in the CG flash rate from N minutes ago to the current time. @TrendCGNegativeFlashRate( N ) The percentage change in the -CG flash rate from N minutes ago to the current time. @TrendCGPositiveFlashRate( N ) The percentage change in the +CG flash rate from N minutes ago to the current time.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 @TrendDetectionRate( N ) The percentage change in the total detection rate from N minutes ago to the current time. Detections are the sum of the number of strokes per minute and the number of noises per minute. As it turns out, most noises (especially when the stroke rate is high and a storm is nearby) are actually strokes that are too garbled to be deciphered, so the sum of the stroke rate and the noise rate is a reasonably accurate measure of the total detection rate.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N @TrendICStrokeRate( N ) The percentage change in the IC stroke rate from N minutes ago to the current time. @TrendICNegativeStrokeRate( N ) The percentage change in the -IC stroke rate from N minutes ago to the current time. @TrendICPositiveStrokeRate( N ) The percentage change in the +IC stroke rate from N minutes ago to the current time.
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R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Appendix E Custom Summary Examples Performing Screen Captures and FTP • Sending E-Mail or Text Messages • Sending Place-Specific E-Mail • Sending Text Messages to Local Recipients • Sending PlaceSpecific Text Messages Performing Screen Captures and FTP ; This example produces images of the various windows ; in Lightning/2000 and FTPs them to a remote server.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 ; Add the just-produced file to the upload queue so ; that it will be uploaded to the server. #AddToUploadQueue( @L2KFolder + 'custsum.txt' ) ; Don’t save the Nowcast if the cloud-to-ground ; flash rate is low (less than 5 CG flashes in the ; past 5 minutes). if @CGFlashCount( 5 ) >= 5 then ; Save the Nowcast to a text file named ; ‘nowcast.txt’ in the Lightning/2000 ; installation folder. #ProduceScreenCapture( 'Nowcast', @L2KFolder + 'nowcast.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N ; Add the just-produced file to the upload ; queue. #AddToUploadQueue( @L2KFolder + 'rtl_a.png' ) ; Produce an image of the graph window. Make ; its size 800 by 160 and save it to a file in ; the Lightning/2000 folder named ‘graph.png’. #ProduceScreenCapture( 'Graph', @L2KFolder + 'graph.png', 800, 160 ) ; Add the new file to the upload queue. #AddToUploadQueue( @L2KFolder + 'graph.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 ; Add the new file to the upload queue. #AddToUploadQueue( @L2KFolder + 'rates.png' ) ; ; ; ; Produce an image of the Totals window at 100% of its on-screen size and save it to a file named ‘totals.png’ in the Lightning/2000 folder. #ProduceScreenCapture( 'Totals', @L2KFolder + 'totals.png', 100 ) ; Add the new file to the upload queue. #AddToUploadQueue( @L2KFolder + 'totals.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N ; recipients for the email. ; ; ; ; A recipient’s email address can be a conventional email address (for example, myaddress@gmail.com) or a text message address (for example, 2125551234@vtext.com). ; ; ; ; ; Don’t even try to send an email if it’s been less than 30 minutes since the last one went out.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 ; Check to see if lightning is being detected ; in Peoria, but only if it’s been at least 30 ; minutes since the last email. if ( @MinutesSinceEmailSent( 'a@bb.com' ) >= 30 ) and @LightningDetectedIn( 'Peoria' ) then ; ; ; First, produce a small (320 by 200) image of the Real-time Lightning window, centered on Peoria with a radius of 50 miles. #ProduceScreenCapture( 'Real-time Lightning', @L2KFolder + 'Peoria.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Sending Text Messages to Local Recipients The easiest way to do this is to select Options | Custom Summary Manager… from the main menu. In the Custom Summary Manager, click the “Add…” button and then select the “Local Text Message” template. Click the “Text Message” checkbox and click the “Settings…” button. In the Text Message Settings dialog, specify the email addresses of those you want to receive the message.
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 can also set the hours of the day during which to send the message, and how often to send the message. You may also want to select a place from the “Place” selection box. If there are no places on your map, you may add a new place to your map by right-clicking on the map and selecting New map object | Location from the popup menu. Click the “OK” button in the Text Message Settings dialog, then click the “OK” button in the Custom Summary Manager.
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N Index archive player, 65 exporting flashes from, 66 arrange counters, 124 Arrange icons, 110 arrange panels, 129 auto zoom, 208 azimuth, 42 azimuth radials, 39 A administrator privileges, 22 advanced mode, 24, 113 alarm sound, 187, 208 storm range, 26, 43 alarms, 25 alert energy ratio, 218 general, 218 storm range, 218 alert bar, 125 color, 126, 149 effect, 126, 149 visible, 148 alerts, 63, 211, 216 align map, 149 align map dialog, 160 allocated stro
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 negative CG strokes percent change, 121 negative IC percent, 89, 120 negative IC stroke rate, 94, 99, 118 negative IC stroke total, 123 negative IC strokes percent change, 122 noise rate, 80 noise total, 124 positive CG percent, 120 positive CG stroke rate, 95, 117 positive CG stroke rate change, 102 positive CG stroke total, 123 positive CG strokes percent change, 121 positive IC percent, 88, 120 positive IC stroke rate, 118 positive IC stroke rate change, 98 positive IC stroke
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N in stroke classification, 242 in stroke direction, 229 exporting flashes, 66 alert bar, 125 arrange, 124 caption, 128 color, 124 effect, 125 font, 125 font color, 125 stroke rate change, 96 counters menu, 117 CPU usage, 165, 166 custom summary, 69, 200 keywords, 247 template, 69 Cut, 109 F false alarms, 20 File, 105 flash, 83 flash mode, 24, 116 flat text objects, 150 font, 151 color, 151 FTP, 116, 197, 260, 263 D delete map feature, 150 Delete, 11
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 I adding locations, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148 center, 153 colors, 29 deleting features, 150 editing, 30, 150 installation, 13 naming places, 152 MCS, 233 mesocyclone, 239 mesoscale convective complex, 233 mesoscale convective system, 235 metric, 208 metric units, 208 Metric units, 208 microburst, 240 miles, 208 Minimize all, 110 mute sound, 208 Mute sound, 208 IC, 18, 34, 88, 89, 90, 93, 94, 229, 234, 239 Install map, 1
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N NOWCast, 105, 109 saving, 62 NOWCast window, 62, 66 NPBP, 241 num segments, 152 of nearby flashes, 208, 209 of storms, 220 range box, 42 range rings, 39, 43 range scaling, 24, 115, 167 ranging, 23 inaccurate, 42 rates window, 48, 77 raw lightning data, 19, 34, 109, 116, 153, 215 real-time lightning, 116, 153, 215 real-time lightning window, 19, 38 records exporting from Registry, 63 records window, 63 red alert, 155 color, 127, 154 effect, 128, 154 f
L I G H T N I N G / 2 0 0 0 stroke symbols size limitation, 191 stroke type dialog, 156, 190 strokes color, 190 shape, 190 totals, 62, 117 strong strokes, 61 summary, 105, 109 summary window, 62, 66 sunken text objects, 151 supercell, 239 system load, 129 system load meter, 61 screen capture, 115, 171, 263 analysis, 176 custom summary, 185 graph, 174 logo, 172 nowcast, 183 rates, 180 real-time lightning, 172 summary, 184 threat assessment, 178 totals, 181 sector for range scaling, 168 Select all, 110 seri
R E A L - T I M E L I G H T N I N G D E T E C T I O N turbo mode, 166 Twitter, 202, 292 caption, 155 Window, 110 Windows 2000, 13 winter storms, 242 U updraft, 232, 238 Y yellow alert color, 126, 157 effect, 127, 157 font color, 127, 157 sound, 126, 157 trigger level, 158 V VHF, 241 View Archive, 106 Recent activity, 106, 107 Recent archive, 107 Z W zoom, 160 automatic, 208 on map, 28 weather radio, 7 width of outlines, 153 window 333
