William W. Plummer wrote:

Dumb question time. Why exclude cloud-to-cloud? Wouldn't that type of
lightning also indicate conditions one would wish to avoid?

Good question. I think the idea that a lightning bolt is an impulse
that excites all frequencies equally at the source. So it shouldn't
matter if it is cloud-cloud or cloud-ground. And, how does a receive
know which is which anyway?

I'm stuck on the question "why would I care?" I mean, if I want to avoid a
t-storm, I don't particularly care whether the discharges are to the ground
or within the atmosphere.

This brings me to my main concern about this type of device, at least as I
understand it. Static discharge occurs after the storm is already worth
avoiding. If I'm in the clouds, this seems terribly likely to permit a
storm to suddenly appear much too close.

Solutions based upon drop size/density (ie. RADAR) would appear to be more
useful in that regard.

So...is it really safe to fly in the clouds with naught but spherics for
weather?

BTW, since my club's aircraft are all carrying strikefinders, I'd appreciate
any references to descriptions of how best to leverage these in IFR flight.

- Andrew