Built on the trusted StrikeAlert technology, StrikeAlert HD is the first personal lightning detector with a graphical display that shows you the lightning strike distance (from 0 – 40 miles away) as well as a 1-hour storm trend and intensity.
Most other personal lightning detectors offer only 180° tracking, but StrikeAlert HD offers complete 360° tracking – in all directions, so there are no blind spots.
Built on the trusted StrikeAlert technology, StrikeAlert HD is the first personal lightning detector with a graphical display that shows you the lightning strike distance (from 0 - 64 km away) as well as a 1-hour storm trend and intensity.
Most other personal lightning detectors offer only 180° tracking, but StrikeAlert HD offers complete 360° tracking - in all directions, so there are no blind spots.
You can set the unit to alert you to danger with both an audible and vibrate warning. StrikeAlert HD achieves up to 80 hours of operation from two AA batteries.
Features
- Intuitive Graphical Display : Now you can visually see the lightning strike distance and the 1-hour storm trend.
- 360° Lightning Detection : Unlike other lightning detectors, StrikeAlert HD tracks lightning in ALL directions - there are no blind spots.
- Audible/Vibrate Warnings : An audible and/or vibrate warning alerts you before (and while) lightning is within striking distance.
- LED Indicators : LED indicators light accordingly at lightning distances of 38-64 km, 19-38 km, 9-19 km and within 9 km.
- Low Power Consumption : Up to 80 hours of operation with two AA batteries. You can select to have the unit shut off after 2 hours if no lightning has been detected.
Oepration
- Power Up and Power Off
Be sure two AA batteries are properly installed. Press and hold the green power button for a few seconds – until the screen turns on. Release the power button. Your StrikeAlert HD is now detecting lightning strikes.
To power off, press and hold the green power button until the screen goes dark. To conserve battery life, remove the batteries if you are storing the unit for an extended period of time.
- Settings Menu
Use the keypad to navigate to the Settings menu. In the Settings menu, you can turn on or off four key functions:
- 2-hour auto off – If you select this option, the unit automatically turns off after 2 hours of no lightning activity. This will save battery power.
- Tone – Enables an audible strike alert.
- Vibrate – Enables a vibrate strike alert.
- Mi or Km – Displays in miles or kilometers.
- Normal Operation
During normal operation, the green ‘power on’ LED will be on continuously to indicate StrikeAlert HD is monitoring for lightning strikes. If the green LED is blinking, the unit is in the presence of interference (see below for more information).
- Detecting Lightning Strikes - LED Display
When a lightning strike is detected, StrikeAlert HD will light the appropriate LED indicating the distance of the strike:
- Red = 0-6 miles
- Orange = 6-12 miles
- Yellow = 12-24 miles
- Blue = 24-40 miles
The LED indicating the nearest strike detected will remain lit for 2 minutes (unless another strike is detected sooner).
- Detecting Lightning Strikes - Tone and Vibrate Warnings
If the Tone function is selected (found in the Settings menu), the tone will beep once for strikes detected in the 24-40 mile range and increasing to 4 beeps for strikes within the 0-6 mile range. If the Vibrate function is selected, the unit will vibrate when a strike is detected. The duration will increase with each closer range indication.
- Detecting Lightning Strikes - Graphical Display
Detected strikes are indicated by ‘lightning bolts’ extending down from the cloud graphic. The strike distances are represented by lightning bolt colors which match the LED color. The bolts increase in size for each closer strike (a large red bolt indicates a strike within 0-9km). All bolts remain displayed for 2 minutes.
- Storm Intensity
A one-hour history, in 5-minute intervals, of all strikes detected is displayed on the Storm Trend screen. Colors are used to indicate the distance of the strikes. This histogram gives a sense of the intensity and direction of the storm – if it’s approaching, departing, or stationary.
- Interference
StrikeAlert is designed to be used outdoors. While StrikeAlert will work indoors, its ability to detect lightning strikes can be affected by common sources of electromagnetic emissions, such as:
- CRTs - (televisions or computer monitors)
- Motors and engines
- High-powered electronics equipment
- Cell phones
Moving StrikeAlert a safe distance away from these devices (usually 3 to 8 feet) should allow the detector to return to normal operation. If StrikeAlert is receiving interference due to such electromagnetic emissions, the green LED will blink or may give a false lightning indication. The static generated by some garments may also produce a false indication. Again, moving the detector just a few feet away from the source of the interference should allow StrikeAlert to resume normal operations. This will be indicated by the green LED remaining constantly lit.
