Quote:
Originally Posted by ozzy6900
The unit that the original poster was referring to is made by Strike Alert and it works very well. I have several friends that officiate soccer and they always wear them when the weather warrants. I am told that the units rarely give false alarms (unless you are near a welder) and the units have given ample notice for the officials to clear the fields for an impending storm.
That said, I never invested in one. I check the radar on my cell phone before the game and if there are cells moving in our direction, I inform my partner that we need to be on the lookout. We inform the managers at the plate meeting of the possibility of a weather problem and that thunder will be the first clue that we may clear the fields. I have never had a problem with HS, Summer or Fall leagues using this formula: - Lightning is difficult to see in daylight.
- In order to hear thunder, lightning had to have occurred.
- If I hear thunder, lightning will soon be seen.
- Successive thunder claps mean clear the field (read below for the reasons).
Now, we don't have the advantage here in CT of being able to see for 30 or 40 miles out. Hell, we are lucky if the terrain allows us to see 4 or 5 miles! So when we see lightning (during daylight hours), it's right on top of us. |
Strike Alert is a portable system. It's called a personal detector. About $75.
There is also one called Sky Scan (About $200 with Power Adapter). Sky Scan also has a more rugged version for about $800. We have the $200 one at our park.
The permanent one with siren etc. is probably a ThorGuard. It seems to be fairly widely used. From what I've heard form a couple of users, expect to pay 5 figures.