(meteorobs) My radio meteor problem

[Mark Steven Williams]

Tom,

Well, actually, 50-54 Mhz is the amateur 6 meter band. The 6 meter amateur 
band will remain "as is" as far as I know. What will go away are the analog 
TV carriers. The "analog" TV signals consist of an "amplitude modulated" 
video carrier and "frequency modulated" audio carrier. The AM video carrier 
is the constant "tone" some correspondents on this reflector report hearing.

The lowband VHF carriers are 6 Mhz wide and start with Channel 2 and 54-60 
Mhz. Channel 6 TV is the highest "lowband" VHF channel...if memory serves 
it's 80-86 Mhz...may be 82-88 I don't remember.

The reason we use video carriers as meteor burst  and propagation "beacons" 
is that they are numerous, very powerful and scattered about at various 
distances. I have, on occasion, copied the signals of european TV broadcast 
stations down around 48 Mhz.

You can check propagation by monitoring the 6 meter amateur beacons between 
about 50.040 and 50.080 Mhz. Most run low power, generally between 1 and 100 
watts. All are automatic and many transmit at, say, 1, 10 and 100 watts in 
rotation. These are CW (morse code) beacons and normally send a callsign ID 
(required) and grid square identifier. If I were running a beacon it would 
identify with my amateur call, K9GX, and grid square, EM78.
Unfortunately these signals vary and aren't 100 kw and on continouously.

Yes, according to the current FCC plan the analog stations are to go away in 
2009. Many stations are already "simulcasting" analog and HD signals. The 
analogs are to go away in '09. Most consumers have no concept about this and 
will have a rude awakening in about 3 years when they are faced with 
purchasing new TVs..or at the very least new tuner/converters. The market 
will drive this and the stations will keep the analog carriers on for as 
long as possible. That being said, an ever increasing share of the TV 
viewing audience receive their TV via cable or satellite. By 2009 the 
over-the-air signal may be largely irrelevant.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Regards,


Mark S. Williams
K9GX
Elizabeth, IN
k9gx at n4gn.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thomas Ashcraft" <heliotown27 at yahoo.com>
To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 4:53 PM
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) My radio meteor problem


> Mark,
>
>  Thanks for that info on sporadic E.
>
>  Regarding lowband VHF.....do you mean 50-54 MHz carriers will transform 
> to HD? Do you think they will wait until 2009 or has the conversion 
> started already? I was pondering setting my ICOM R-75 up with a yagi for 
> those frequencies.
>
>  I did a lot of forward scatter work at 88-107 MHz FM frequencies in the 
> late 1990s but the FM dial got too full of stations with few useable 
> vacancies. It kept getting tougher to do radio meteor work.
>
>
>  Clear skies,
>  Thomas Ashcraft
>  New Mexico
>
>
>
> k9gx at thepoint.net wrote:
>
> I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. The analog TV signals on low band 
> VHF
> channels are going to go away in 2009. FCC is mandating that stations
> transition to "HD". The analog signals will be no more.
> Mark S. Williams
> Elizabeth, IN
>
>
>
>
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