Come on you clever people

Pretty sure Neil's right - it's an antenna and receiver for a lightning location system, and EA have been operating a lightning detection service in the UK 'for 30 years'.

There will be several similar installations in electrically quiet locations scattered around the country. I guess the box contains power, a small computer, 3 or 4 radio receivers, and a phone line. The direction and intensity of any lightning detected is reported back and triangulated centrally.

Historical analysis of lighting strikes reveals which areas are more at risk of lightning damage than others, which helps Risk Assess maintenance and new build work.

Active monitoring gives early warning of electrical storms and their track and intensity. The service is used by organisations with assets at risk of being struck by lightning - radio masts, cathedrals, nuclear power stations etc. I guess men working on pylon supported power lines are keen not to be caught in a thunderstorm!

Similar loop antenna on the INGESGO website:

Dave

From the Lightning Detection section of their website;

15 detection outstations monitor the whole of the UK and Ireland - including four in Ireland and four in Scotland Proven lightning flash detection efficiency of 98%

Doesn't say where they are though for obvious reasons.

Bill

There's also the amateur version

www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?bo_page=map&bo_showmap=0&bo_period=12&lang=en

Neil

Extraordinary pattern of lightning right now, but perfectly matches the satellite IR cloud on the met office website.

I don't suppose one more pole is going to make any difference!

Rik

Or the REALLY amateur version...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_8OhjmWR0s

Edited By Pete Rimmer on 05/09/2018 07:20:47

A lightening detector it is then.

Thank you for all the contributions, I knew some body here would know.

I did read the company website "about us" page but the corporate, management speak about power transmission and network solutions said a lot about nothing really. I guess I am not their target audience though.

Thanks again, especially Neil.

Ivy.

P.S. I have asked a lot of people I have met walking here and the usual response is "dunno mate".

Does nobody have an enquiring mind any more?

Edited By Ivy on 05/09/2018 07:41:31

I once went to view a Cold War ROC bunker. Their method of identifying the direction of nuclear fireballs was extremely crude, using light-sensitive coated paper of the sort dyeline drawings used to be printed on. It wasn't clear whether the group manning the shelter would've possessed a Geiger counter. I think the word 'monitor' would've been a gross exaggeration of what they could do, and begs the question of who the hell would've been left to report it to, and what the hell they could've done about it if they had.

Edited By Mick B1 on 05/09/2018 14:22:07

See BURLINGTON.

Dave

EA Technologies used to be one of those myriad government funded industry research groups that were all flogged off to private owners or management buyouts. The waybackmachine from year 2000 says

The company became fully independent in October, 1997, with a management and employee buy-out. It is now owned by its staff of more than 240 people and new entrants to the company are offered share options after a qualifying period.

The company was originally formed as the research and development arm of the UK electricity industry in the 1960's. It became semi-independent in the early 1990's and has rapidly developed a culture which focuses on delivering technological solutions which are commercially practicable and valuable, whilst maintaining the highest standards of intellectual endeavour.

It's now a "consultancy" and I've encountered them on a professional basis on various occasions since around 2000, the latest being a (short!!) period of employment as head of engineering at one of their spinoffs which ended when I figured out what was going on, confronted the CEO and agreed to part ways amicably.

IIRC, the Capenhurst site (where I briefly worked) was the site of one of the first experimental nuclear reactors. Unlike any of its commercial cousins, this one was actually decommissioned although there are now various ongoing nuclear businesses there including Urenco (fuel enrichment) which seems to be putting up loads of new real estate there. Confusingly, AEA Technology also used to have a presence there although I see they went bust and are now part of Ricardo.

Murray

BTW - why does the forum says my message is "35535 characters too long" when it has less than 1600??? I pasted plain text in. Go figure....

Edited By Muzzer on 05/09/2018 17:27:46

Usually an (invisible) image pasted in by mistake

Neil

The experts have already got in but with just the first picture I would have suggested a modern development of an implement used by the Inquisition and the Bishops of Winchester.

However Geoff Theasby might offer a better solution.

regards

Ian