(meteorobs) Current shower?

[bob]

Sam - Have you ever tried to monitor a Digital TV signal for meteors?
Station KCWX has a transmitter located in Fredericksburg,just South of you a bit, on VLF channel 5. Currently their power output is 29Kw and they have an application in to increase it to 89Kw.
I would think that the forward scatter from KCWX would be similar to the MSK scatter on the SNOTEL networks. I'd try it myself, but no available digital Txs in the channel 2-6 range in Arizona. As a start, I would set your RX frequency to the pilot tone, which s/b 76.31 MHz, for starters.

Regards
Bob


--- In meteorobs at yahoogroups.com, Sam Barricklow <k5kj at ...> wrote:
>
> 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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