🚀 go-pugleaf

This is a piece of wire-service copy which I found filling a space this
morning (August 4, 1993) in my local paper (the West Lebanon, NH _Valley
News_).  I thought it might be of interest to the WX-TALK crowd.  This is
reproduced without permission, but I have a feeling that this started life
as a press release.


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If it works, they ought to call it the Trevino
Meter.

The Colorado Golf Association says it is testing a
machine capable of detecting pre-lightning conditions
and nearby lightning strikes. The association is
taking the Stormaster equipment, marketed by
American Lightning Protection of Louisville, to all
its major tournaments on a trial basis.
"Every time that machine has gone off it's been
pretty much right on," said the association's
executive director, Warren Simmons.

The equipment was in use during last month's
U.S. Senior Open Golf Tournament at Cherry Hills
Country Club and recently scanned the afternoon
skies during the 30th Colorado Open at the Inverness
Golf Club.

"Golfers out there holding and swinging metal
clubs become, in effect, a lightning rod attracting
the lightning," Kevin Bergschneider, commercial
vice president for ALP Inc., said.

Just ask Trevino, who's been hit by lighting
several times on the golf course.

The machine, which sells for less than $7,000,
measures the electric-field strength in the vicinity
and sounds a warning alarm when lightning occurs
within 6 to 9 miles of the antenna.

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Tim Horrigan
US Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Lab
72 Lyme Road
Hanover, NH  03755

ph: (603) 646-4432

internet: horrigan@hanover-crrel.army.mil