(meteorobs) US Air Force Space Surveillance Radar - tuning in?

[Pat Branch]

Using the Radar power equation you should be able to calculate the 
size of objects you could detect based on your antenna gain, the 
radiated power (768 KW), the distance between you, the meteor, and 
the station, etc etc....ok so it is not real easy!

I would expect you would hear a few per hour at best (depending on 
your minimum size resolution - which I would expect to be in the 
fraction of an inch area)...but I'm not an expert on that. You might 
try and coordinate your observation using a known satellite pass over 
the Space Radar (or Amarillo). I happen to be pretty close to the 
radar site (I'm in NW Fort Worth). 

--- In meteorobs at yahoogroups.com, Thomas Ashcraft <ashcraft at ...> 
wrote:
>
> Bob, Pat, Larry and all,
> 
> Thank you for your helpful input.
> 
> I am still tuning in various configurations of gain, attenuation, 
and 
> filtering and can get the tone to disappear using LSB. I will keep 
> tweeking but I have heard no meteors thus far.
> 
> I wonder what normal morning sporadic meteor rates would be?  
Should I 
> expect to hear a few meteors per minute or just a few meteors per 
hour?  
> Or, will it take a substantial fireball to reflect the radar?   I 
am not 
> sure what to expect. 
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> Thomas
> 
> 
> > Can anyone give me advice on tuning into the US Air Force Space 
> > Surveillance Radar in Texas?
> >
> > I am using an ICOM PCR1000 radio with a tv antenna pointed 
towards 
> > Archer City, Texas and am tuned at 216.980 MHz.  Using USB I get 
a very 
> > strong tone. Is this the tone of the radar?  Any advice as to 
settings ( 
> > USB/LSB/CW ? ) and what filtering combination is best is 
welcome.  I 
> > wonder if you can receive meteor scatter without having the 
constant 
> > tone in the background?
> >
> > Thank you in advance for your reply.
> >
> > Clear skies,
> > Thomas Ashcraft
> > ashcraft (at) heliotown.com
> > New Mexico
> >
> >
> >   
> 
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