‰ NOW 30 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM JANUARY 2017 QST PAGE 54‰ OPERATION OF THE STATION. ANY ANTENNA CAN BE USED TO MONITOR RF CONDITIONS. MY STATION USES A HY GAIN 18HTJR OMNI DIRECTIONAL MULTIBAND ANTENNA. WARNING LEAVING THE STATION CONNECTED DURING A THUNDERSTORM WITHOUT PROPER LIGHTNING PROTECTION CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR LIFE AND PROPERTY. IT IS NOT SAFE TO OPERATE ANY EQUIPMENT CONNECTED TO AN ANTENNA WHILE A THUNDERSTORM IS WITHIN 10 MILES 16 KILO METERS. MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF A PASSING THUNDERSTORM EARLY EVENING ON MAY 26, 2016, THE GREATER VANCOUVER AREA WAS TREATED TO A RARE THUNDERSTORM. THE MDSR TEAM GOT LUCKY AND THE RF SEISMOGRAPH WAS RUNNING AUTOMATICALLY AND UNATTENDED. FIGURE 8 SHOWS THE LIGHTNING SPIKES CLEARLY DETECTED ON SEVERAL BANDS. THE BUILDUP OF ENERGY IN THE TROPO SPHERE WAS VISIBLE AT LEAST 2 HOURS BEFORE THE STORM HIT SHOWN LEFT OF THE DURATION OF THE STORM MARKER. DURING THE 2 HOUR STORM, THE NOISE LEVEL OF THE 40 METER BAND JUMPED WAY UP. IN THIS PARTICULAR STORM, THE LIGHTNING PASSED LAST, MOSTLY SEEN IN THE GREEN SPIKES 80 METERS. JUST AFTER 2200, A BIG LIGHTNING STRIKE MADE EVEN THE 17 METER BAND JUMP. AT 2215, THE NOISE OF THE 40 METER BAND DROPPED ALMOST ‰ END OF 30 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ