Lightning warning systems and the protection of transistorised circuits for firing range equipment

A lightning warning system used in conjunction with interrupter relays is recommended as a convenient and low-cost solution to the protection of transistorized circuits against lightning damage. Phenomenological aspects of a lightning environment and associated characteristics or effects amenable to detection are reviewed. An alarm warning system based on the electrostatic field build-up several minutes prior to a lightning discharge is suggested to trigger isolation relays. The possibility of detecting the development of thunderstorm conditions by monitoring the local electric field itself or by sensing the point corona discharge current is discussed. A system based on the detection of the radiation field of lightning discharge is suggested for detecting distant thunderstorms. It is shown that a more definite indication of approaching thunderstorms may be obtained by an instrument based on the detection of the electrostatic field reversal of near lightning strikes.