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Tried that solar flare tracker app after the big storm, turns out my weather radio was the problem
I got really into aurora chasing after that May storm and downloaded a $12 flare tracking app. For two months it kept saying high activity, but I never saw anything from my backyard in Fort Collins. Then I tested my handheld radio against the app during a predicted flare and realized the radio was receiving NOAA alerts late by almost 20 minutes. The app was actually right, my gear was just outdated. Has anyone else had their equipment make them doubt a reliable tracking source? What do you trust more when the data conflicts?
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avery_roberts676d ago
Used to figure the app was the flaky part, honestly. Figured a paid tracker was just some kid pulling data and slapping a price on it, so I'd trust my own ears and my old scanner over any phone app. Your radio being 20 minutes late though, that's a real eye opener, because a delay like that is exactly the kind of thing that makes you blame the wrong thing. These days I check the timestamp on the alert itself instead of just trusting that it came through at all, and if the timing is off then the gear is the problem, not the source. Takes a humbling to change your mind on that one, your mileage may vary though.
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