Kanga Barometer/Propagation Indicator

This kit requirs a higher skill level of soldering than many of our kits. not recormended as first project. Please read the instructions in full BEFORE ordering.

Instructions Here

Some might dismiss this as the most boring kit they'll ever build — but if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself using it every single day. A simple barometer can reveal a surprising amount about the weather and radio conditions.

🌦️ Why Pressure Matters

•            High pressure often signals settled weather. In winter, it can mean crisp, clear cold spells; in summer, it usually brings sunshine.

•            Low pressure tends to bring cloud, rain, and unsettled conditions.

•            Rapid pressure changes are especially telling:

•            A sharp drop may indicate an approaching storm.

•            A sudden rise often means a storm is subsiding.

📡 Relevance for Radio Hams

For us in the amateur radio world, knowing the pressure trend is more than just meteorology — it’s propagation intelligence. VHF (above 30 MHz) and higher frequencies are particularly sensitive to atmospheric pressure. You may have heard of a “lift” — a phenomenon where signals bend or refract over long distances due to high-pressure systems. These conditions can dramatically improve range and signal clarity.

In the analogue TV era, high pressure sometimes caused interference from continental stations bleeding into local frequencies — a mixed blessing depending on your interests!

🔧 Kit Overview

The Kanga Barometer kit features:

•            LED barograph display from 985 mb to 1030 mb

•            Over/under pressure indicators

•            Reversible front panel: one side shows pressure, the other shows local propagation status

•            Low power consumption: most current goes to the LEDs; the BMP280 sensor and     ATmega328 controller draw only a few mA