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(meteorobs) Radio observing

Sitting on the beach here in south Texas, watching the Leonids, it's two in
the morning and I'm thinking, "Wow, I've seen some great "sparks" here and
there.  Can I keep my eyes open four more hours?  Can I, can I....?"  This is
the part I begin to dream of being on a yacht off the coast of Australia right
about now catching fish bigger than my house!  Mr. Zayge had sent me part of
his meteor observing guide (which I greatly appreciate) on observing by radio.
I hope this doesn't pose a problem, but I have some questions about some parts
if I may ask them here.

1)Now punch in the frequency's one at a time from 88.0 to 108.0 MHz. What you
want to do is write down all the frequencies that you do not hear any kind of
music or talking. 

Ok, I know of a radio station in Shreveport, Louisiana, which is about 300
miles north of where I am located.  With the antenna hooked to my radio,
pointed at this direction, I will hear static.  When a meteor comes between me
and that radio stations antenna, I should pick up a slight voice or piece of
music, correct?  Would I have to make sure there's not any radio stations
between me and Shreveport that operate on the same frequency?  The only large
city in between is Houston and they more than likely have a radio station on
this frequency as well, but Houston is about 100 miles north of me.  Is this
too close?  Am I ok so far?

2)Next step, take a compass to find True North with your antenna pole at the
middle. Be sure to do this with the pole and other metal out of the way or you
will get a false reading. Turn the antenna to point towards your transmitting
station. Use a protractor...cement the short piece at a 45 degree angle or as
close as you can. When you slip in the other short piece with your antenna
connected, this will give you the 45 degree angle without fooling around too
much...tilt your antenna so that it points up at a 45 degree angle instead of
the traditional horizontal flat.

One word....huh?

3)I bought myself a small hand counter and simply pressed the button for every
signal heard, regardless how long the duration. If the signal was 1 second or
longer, I would note them separately in an appropriate box. I do this at half
hour increments for each hour, although only 1 hour periods of data are
considered useful.

I understand this part, but a question:  Would it be better to just record
them onto tape if possible in case you miss any where the duration heard on
radio is 1/4 of a second or so?  I suppose that's more of a personal choice,
but would like to know what some of you do.

4)Radio monitoring meteors is a lot more complicated than what I presented. If
you first grasp what I have written here, you will be ready to dig a little
deeper into this field.  

I think that's an understatement!  I really wanted to submit a report on the
Leonids, but found myself moving around quite often in order to stay warm and
awake.  That, plus, I was listening to a talk show and became a voiceful
critic against the things they were saying about the shower...another story
later.  I got into the car around 2, turned the heater on and fell asleep
listening to Art Del(?).  I woke up an hour later and the car was rolling
backwards.  Not a good feeling when you're on a beach and your car is heading
towards the Gulf of Mexico!  I think I can handle radio much better!

cul8r
tim
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