Boltek NexStorm Lite - Manual (Page 10)

Lightning Detection Software, Version 1.0
Figure 1. NexStorm Lite textual data frames
A. Strike and Noise alert indicators and the latest strike bearing
indicator. The strike and noise indicators will light up when a
strike or noise is detected, alerting you of the event that just
occurred. The latest strike bearing indicator will display the
bearing to the latest strike that was detected, making it easier for
you to locate the strike on the map. To control how long the strike
and noise indicators should be lit up, open the Configuration
dialog, Data graphics tab and adjust the indicator’s duration time.
(You can also click on the System frame clock label to view the
same tab in Configuration dialog.)
B. Per minute counters for strikes, close strikes and noises.
Close strikes are classified according to the close alarm setting
which is adjustable in the Configuration->Alarms tab dialog. The
Noises counter will turn yellow if the amount of noises exceeds
20 per minute and no strikes are detected or if the strike to noise
ratio exceeds 5 to 1. The latter phenomenon is very common
during elevated and nearby lightning activity and could be
indicative of frequent intracloud discharges, weak electrical
activity or mixed component signals that were not well formed,
hence could not have the directions properly determined.
Strike type ratios will not be available when the software is used
with the Boltek LD-250 model, instead GPS relayed data will be
shown in real time in such cases where an NMEA compatible
GPS has been connected to the LD-250.
C. Total counters for all classes of strikes, close strikes and
noises. This is a daily counter that will reset at midnight.
D. Totals and percentage ratios for the four different strike
categories that NexStorm is able to classify. With regular, non-
severe summer storms, the positively charged cloud to ground
strikes should be in minority with ratios of 0 to 30 percent. During
winter thunderstorms (thundersnow), the positively charged
strikes can dominate although the cumulative total is likely to be
relatively low. Tornadic supercells in the mid-western continental
US have been recorded to contain a large amount of positive CG
strikes, especially during the dissipation stage.
E. The System frame contains information about the
configuration state of your NexStorm. The labels in the System
frame are clickable and will open various configuration dialogs
depending on which label was clicked. Right-clicking on the
Range label or the currently selected range indicator label will
bring up the Quick Zoom which lets you select a specific view
range.
F. Uptime indicator and Peak rate indicator. The uptime shows
how many hours and minutes the application has been running
since it was started. It is only reset when NexStorm is restarted.
The Peak rate indicates the highest strike rate that has occurred
during application uptime or, if the application has been running
for over 24 hours, within the current day. The Peak time indicates
at which time the peak strike rate occurred.
The Peak rate counter is reset at midnight every day or if you exit
the application.
G. The strike rate trend graph shows lightning activity for a set
period of time. For more information about the graph please see
the Strike rate graph section.
Edition: 5/L1
2007-09-02
© 2007 Astrogenic Systems Table of Contents Page 10