 | Nearby storm detection is now nearly 100% reliable. |
| Automatically post updates to your Twitter account. |
|
|
| Full support for the LD-350. |
| Users of the StormTracker (PCI) or LD-350 now need never miss a single
stroke because the computer is busy doing other tasks, thanks to the
addition of "turbo mode". |
| Use Lightning/2000 to easily send text messages to any number of
recipients when lightning threatens. |
| Any number of Custom Summary templates may now be run
simultaneously. This allows you to (for example) easily send text
messages to local recipients when lightning is nearby. |
| New Custom Summary commands allow you to automatically FTP files to a
server at specified intervals, send emails, output commands to a serial port
to control external devices (alarms, etc.), and produce custom text files
that may be sent to a server via FTP. |
| For the first time in a personal lightning detection system, we now
have the ability to determine when an individual flash of lightning
is nearby.
 | This is a major breakthrough, and allows more accurate and timely
warnings than the statistical averaging techniques that have been used
in the past. |
| It is a direct result of our ongoing research into how a lightning
flash occurs. |
|
| Now you can add features to the supplied custom background map. Some
of the map features that may be added to the map are:
| Places (denoted by a small circle) |
| Towns, Cities, Large Cities (all with shapes that can be edited to be
anything you want) |
| Four different types of Roads (also with editable shapes) |
| Lakes, Glaciers, Swamps (also with editable shapes) |
|
| The most capable lightning detection available in a
single-detector system. Period.
| Our ongoing research and development efforts have resulted in a system
that leaves competitors in the dust. |
| Part of the reason for this is our real-world flash based system. |
| Automatically selects and uses the most up-to-date device driver when
using the StormTracker PCI card. |
|
| Google Earth export
| You can now export flashes from your archive files into a format that
can be displayed in Google Earth. |
|
| Custom Summary
| Through the use of a new scripting language, you can now
create a text summary that contains virtually any lightning detection
related information. Furthermore, with the use of the custom
summary's conditional statements, you can create custom summaries that
actually predict the occurrence of severe weather, or other conditions. |
| The custom summary may be automatically emailed to any number of
recipients. |
| You can generate an email or text message based on your own custom summary criteria. |
| And now you can use the same scripting language to control what
appears on the status line at the bottom of the main window. |
| Click here to download a PDF of the
chapter from the user's manual on the Custom Summary window. |
| No other lightning detection system, at any price, has this
capability. |
|
| Flash recognition.
| For the first time, a personal lightning detection system can now
recognize and track flashes of lightning. Until now, all
software that utilizes the Boltek hardware has detected and displayed
strokes. But since each bolt of lightning (called a flash)
can consist of many strokes, the display didn't really reflect what was
going on in the real world. |
| This is one of the most important advances to date in the field
of personal lightning detection. |
| Even strokes that were formerly thought to be reflections (and
discarded) are now placed into the correct, unreflected flash. |
| It allows us to more accurately display, evaluate, and track
lightning. |
| And now in version 5, flash recognition when using the LD-250. |
|
| The most flexible and complete Internet enabled system
available.
| Upload any or all of 6
different images, as often as once per minute. |
| Attach any or all of 6 different images to an automatically
generated email message, sent to any number of recipients. |
| Automatically email the Custom Summary
(containing only the information you specify) to any number of
recipients. |
| Post updates to your Twitter account. |
|
| Complete re-evaluation and overhaul of the system.
| Since Lightning/2000 was first released in 1999, there have been many
changes to the Windows operating system, and to what constitutes a basic
personal computer. Techniques and approaches that seemed
appropriate several years ago are, in some cases, counter-productive
when viewed through the lens of today's computers and operating systems. |
| As it turned out, there were a number of areas in Lightning/2000 that
benefited from a complete overhaul. |
| This process has made Lightning/2000 more efficient, and able to
process a much higher throughput of data (i.e. lightning detections). |
| We have learned over the years to not rely so heavily on the operating
system's memory allocation scheme. Version 5 of Lightning/2000
makes as little use as possible of Windows' memory management.
Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in a more stable product. |
|
| Control Panel for quick access to commonly used functions
and options.
| Toggle stroke types and/or ages with a single mouse click. |
| Access commonly used dialog boxes more easily. |
|
| Newly retooled graph allows you to plot any combination of
stroke or flash types.
| Display graphs of strokes or flashes, using any or all of the stroke
or flash subtypes. |
| Display graphs of noises, strong strokes, energy ratio, IC flash
percentage, +CG stroke percentage, and more. |
|
| More options for capturing and uploading of
Lightning/2000's screen images.
| The contents of any of Lightning/2000's many informational windows may
now be captured automatically and uploaded to a website. |
| Uploads will only be performed when the stroke count exceeds a lower
limit that you specify. |
| Any or all of these images may be automatically emailed to any number
of recipients. |
| Create PNG or JPG images. |
|
| New counters for flashes and flash subtypes. |
| Simplified default arrangement of counters enables you to see only the
most important information at a glance. |
| Stroke/Flash type discrimination (Boltek™
StormTracker only)
| Cloud-to-ground (CG) and intracloud/intercloud (IC) strokes are
detected separately. |
| Positive and negative strokes are detected separately. |
| Counters record rate, percentage, and rate change of each of 6 stroke
and flash types. |
| Cloud-to-ground and Intercloud flash rates and totals are tabulated in real-time. |
| Different stroke types are drawn differently |
| Stroke shapes and colors may be easily changed to any shape and color |
| Strokes are color-coded by age (there are 6 "ages" of
strokes) |
|
| Greatly improved and more flexible range scaling since v3.4. |
| Virtually every stroke (or flash) is now displayed on the map. |
| Advanced noise rejection (further enhanced in Version 4). |
| Only Lightning/2000 counts dangerous cloud-to-ground
lightning flashes.
| Of course, we also detect and tabulate intercloud flashes of lightning
too. |
|
| Internet connectivity features
| Automatically FTP an image of any window to your website. |
| Send an email to one or more recipients when lightning is detected
within a distance, and a minimum stroke rate you specify. |
|
| Record stroke rates and totals are now kept automatically
| Record values are indicated visually the instant that they are set |
| The new Records window shows all your records and when they were set |
|
| Storms are color-coded by intensity, like on a radar
display |
| A much larger manual (now provided as a PDF)
| 328 pages -- tons of information |
| Expanded index makes it easier to find topics |
|
| Compatibility with archive files and maps from older versions of
Lightning/2000 |
