(meteorobs) Current shower?

[Sam Barricklow]

James,

I monitor both the Lake Kickapoo RADAR and channel 2 video carriers  
here in the DFW area.  Most of the channel 2 carriers are apparently  
originating from Mexico, but signals peak in other directions too.   
Bottom line is that many more echoes are heard on channel 2 than when  
monitoring the Lake Kickapoo RADAR.  Channel 2 video carrier  
frequencies in MHz are:

55.239
55.249
55.259

The ICOM PCR-1000 receiver is set to USB.  Two antennas are used, one  
is a 2 element wire yagi pointed at the zenith, and the second is a  
rotatable 3 element horizontally polarized yagi at 19 meters AGL.   
Apparently, several transmitters are still on the air, with the  
strongest located in either southwest Texas or in Mexico near the  
Texas / Mexico border.

Using the 3 element rotatable yagi-uda antenna, meteor scatter  
signals originating from analog TV stations to the northwest,  
northeast and the southeast, although weaker, can also be received.   
Apparently, the migration from analog to digital transmission has not  
been completed.

As you probably know, Ionized meteor trails reflect the channel 2 VHF  
signals much more efficiently than the 216 MHz Lake Kickapoo  
frequency, so many more echoes may be heard on the lower frequency.

The channel 2 FM audio frequency can also be monitored on 59.750 MHz

The issue for you may be that an analog TV transmitter may not be  
close enough to illuminate ionized meteor trails that pass above your  
location, which wouldn't allow simultaneous meteor scatter audio and  
all-sky video.

Sam Barricklow



On Aug 28, 2011, at 10:29 AM, James Beauchamp wrote:

> The previous week has been total silence.  Barely a sporadic radio  
> hit after the PER's settled down.
>
> Last night it has picked up significantly.  Radar scatter is  
> getting about 20 per hour at the peak rates, but it is in clusters.
>
> Clouds prevented any optical captures  :(

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