How does StormScope work?

[John Moore]

Does anyone out in Netland know how the StormScope avionics
system works. I have flown a small aircraft with one, and it gives
a radar-like PPI display that shows storm cells and, purportedly,
non-precipitating turbulance areas. However, it is not radar and
is apparently completely passive. I am most curious about the
principles of operation and how good it is.

--
John Moore (NJ7E) hao!noao!mcdsun!nud!anasazi!john
(602) 861-7607 (day or evening)
The opinions expressed here are obviously not mine, so they must be
someone else's.

[Ron Natalie]

StormScope works by detecting the characturistic electronic signatures
that are emitted by static discharges in the clouds. The designer pointed
out that if mother nature wasn't so regular, he'd never had been able to
build such a thing. These discharges may either be real lightning strokes
or other discharges that are generated when layers of air pass each other
in convective activity.

-Ron

[Shelley.L.Rosenbaum]

In article <4...@tower.UUCP> jo...@tower.UUCP (John Moore) writes:
>
> Does anyone out in Netland know how the StormScope avionics
>system works. I have flown a small aircraft with one, and it gives
>a radar-like PPI display that shows storm cells and, purportedly,
>non-precipitating turbulance areas. However, it is not radar and
>is apparently completely passive. I am most curious about the
>principles of operation and how good it is.

It works on the principle that TRW's usually are associated with
static electricity. This is due to the fact that you have strong
updrafts and downdrafts in the vicinity of one another, and the
friction of the air going up rubbing against the air going down
causes the static electricity. The StormScopes merely detect the
static.

I saw a presentation of the StormScopes at an FAA Back to Basics
seminar last year--the guy from 3M who presented it said that 3M
recommended that people have both a StormScope and a weather
radar system. He also showed us a picture of a weather radar
screen which showed little precip, and what the weather really
was at that location: a tornado.

Pretty impressive.

--
Shelley Rosenbaum; AT&T Bell Labs; (201) 949-3615
{ihnp4, allegra, cbosgd}!ho95c!slr

"He's been up there for a week! But he's coming down!"

[Mike Carter]

Interesting indeed. Now what interests me is what is he using for
detection of such static discharges?
ALso, where did you see the write-up? I'd like to check it out .
Thanks,

-Mike