Thunderstorm Detector – BTD-300

The BTD-300 Thunderstorm Detector by Biral is a professional standalone lightning detection sensor designed for real-time monitoring of cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-ground, and intra-cloud lightning activity. It provides early warning of approaching thunderstorms and overhead lightning risk, making it ideal for airports, refineries, wind farms, sports venues, industrial plants, and other safety-critical outdoor operations. The detector reliably monitors lightning activity within a range of 83 km (45 nautical miles), exceeding FAA aerodrome requirements. Unlike traditional RF-based lightning detectors, the BTD-300 uses a unique quasi-electrostatic operating principle, detecting changes in the atmospheric electric field in the 1–47 Hz frequency band. This enables highly accurate storm detection with a very low false alarm rate and allows the system to warn of overhead lightning risk even before the first lightning discharge occurs by detecting strong electric fields and charged precipitation. Built for reliable long-term outdoor operation, the BTD-300 is virtually maintenance-free and supports direct system integration through Ethernet or RS422 communication, with optional warning relay modules for automatic alarm activation and an optional direction finder for lightning bearing information. It complies with EN50536 Class 1 and IEC 62793 Class A standards for professional lightning detection systems.