Listen to/feel lightning

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  • Aight the storm finally cleared up and I had another listen. It's WAY more quite. No chirping. So I would say that it works pretty well. I'm not getting the distinct whistls I was hoping for but that's probably just a matter of waiting to find them. Also there's a piece of software I've been trying to get tot work that cna pick out specific frequencies and listen to them and maybe even decode them. So I could see what the transmisions in my area are saying. I did some more readin and it seems that anything under 9khs is sort of free reign to amatures so you don't need a license. And since the waves travel so far the transmissions im hearing oculd be coming from pretty far away. Eitherway, super cool project.
  • Video is finally done and up! check it out LINK
  • I received the parts today. I'll be assembling it tomorrow hopefully. I was going to do it today but noticed my mason jar lid is all metal so I'll have to get some plexiglass. I'm going to use a quart jar instead of the smaller one.
  • The nice thing about the small one is the ferrite core can sit on the bottom. The wires are super fragile so if it's hanging it'll break. So take that into account. maybe build a little paper step or something for it to sit on. 
  • I would be very interested in seeing an implant work similar to the one that Moon Rivas has going but for lightning. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is the lightning capital of the world. There are some serious, 8+ hour lightning storms that would be a blast to have measured with their proximity, intensity, and location. I like the sound measurement of the electro-magnetic activity but I would be very curious to see the development of an implant that could give general sensitivity and intensity options instead of a merely audible rendering. I'll be following this thread with great interest!
  • I haven't opened up the little bag yet to look at it. Thanks for the heads up. My luck I'd of broken it. I might take up origami and make a nice chair ;)

    I'll let you know what ends up happening with it and if I break something.
  • I would fiddle around with audio hijack and stuff in the meantime. I had to torrent my copy and I couldn't find any free software like it. 
  • Hijacks only on Mac right? I run on Windows which could make this a little slower but I'll try non the less. I torrent lots so I'll probably skip the freeware and go to that.
  • Its on both
  • Nice. So an update on my lid I won't be able to grab it today because I have my daughter with me all day. I'll be trying to hit the homedepot tomorrow to set it up
  • https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B92Cg-Q6q4OtVG1xcGpfVUxGdFE

    I finally assembled the majority of it all I need now is the wire for the antennas. I'm hopeful I'll grab it tomorrow for the remainder of the storms coming in.

    I optioned for a less then desired case (my opinion) since I didn't have the means to fashion a plexiglass replacement for my mason jar. Maybe I'll try and do another in the future if I get myself a hole saw or another tool to cut circles out of plexiglass.
  • Have you tried playing with audio hijack yet? If you just plug in the cable that comes with the kit you should get some reception
  • Unfortunately I haven't by the time I finished assembly my daughter fell asleep. My PC is next too her room and it would likely wake her up.
  • Would audacity work? It's got some pretty fancy stuff, and you don't need to torrent it. 'Cause it's free.
  • I just tried total recorder and it doesn't appear to truly work that well but I also do not have an antenna yet. Also I was unable to find a Windows functional version of audio hijack. I'll keep looking around.
  • I ended up using a standard version and finding a serial for it
  • I am back on the hunt for software. I just built the antennas I decided to do two different ones. I made a cone and pancake.
  • ok so ive tried both audacity and total recorder with my new antennas.

    Total recorder has yet to produce anything that I can hear.

    Audacity on the other hand has produced sound that I can hear. Right now I'm hearing rhythmic beeps and a humming type of smooth static like wind blowing. I had to turn the gain up almost all the way AND put in headphones just to hear this. I am noticing my play back meter is mostly full and the breaks are from when it is full.

    I just did a little test to see if it was functional by trying to disturb the radio while recording and it certainly did interfere with it. I'm now in the search for a way to make it more audible so I can take out the headphones and then hopefully modify it to hear the lightning heading my way.
  • @chironex i got a question. Do you see a wiring misshap on my cover? It was pointed out to me that i may have grounded the output to the wrong prong. Problem is i thought i had the correct one. I used your video for the wiring which i thought i followed to a T.
  • I hate not being able to edit from my phone...
    So the guy from the instructables has informed me that the ground is the bottom prong(ones we arent using) and the the two we are should be conected.

    Sorry for the mess of posts. Im not able to add edits to other posts from my phone which is where i post mostly from.
  • it looks like you did the same thing i did so either I made a mistake or it's fine. I've seen a few people's version of this and most don't bother grounding the thing out so I dunno. 
  • Well I'll see if I notice anything different when I change it. I'll let you know.
  • I modified the radio to what the original instrucables author suggested and I did notice a drastic drop in interference and actually found a different higher pitched beep in it. My solder job looks like complete and total garbage now but hey it works.

    I connected the two prongs your using and moved the audio out ground to the bottom prong. Sorry I'm spacing on the name of the part.
  • take a pic, i'd love to see.
  • https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B92Cg-Q6q4Ota21mYXAzaUstblk

    I'm surprised it even works with the mess of solder I have on there right now. I'm nervous about completely removing everything and making clean connections because of how tight everything is.
  • Found my way here searching for info on Ribas' Speedborg earrings (which I wish I could get my hands on, irks me to no end that these holes in my ears don't serve a function). Any further updates on how the future of something like this might work out as a wearable? 
  • Listening to lightning on the AM is one of my favorite hobbies....I really like the idea of this. This probably would not be too terribly difficult to implement on a PIC which I can get for a few dollars....battery would be an issue for an implant, but using it as a wearable it wouldn't be that bad.
  • I'm still fighting with trying to find software for my PC that can give me the customization that audio hijack has. I've made a list of what I may need to implement a wearable for this but as I have yet to make mine work on a PC I haven't gone further.

    My other issue is my income took a hit :/ so for me this is sidelined a bit.

    Chironex is also out of his lab for awhile so I'm sure it's waaaay on the back burner for him.
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