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(meteorobs) Temiscaming Results
My original plan was to make Temiscaming a single experiment to show that
it is possible to detect meteor-
reflected signals from stations to the south by pointing the antenna
northward at a high elevation angle. In
Temiscaming (Quebec, Canada), I pointed the antenna at an elevation angle
of about 70 deg.
The reasons for going as far north as Temiscaming are: 1) the FM band is
not crowded; and 2) there are no
FM stations to the north on the frequencies I chose to use. Therefore, any
signals I hear must be coming from
stations to the south of Temiscaming.
Knowing that the weather forecast called for clouds and some rain, I
fortunately remembered to buy a simple
compass en route so I could aim the antenna north.
The cloud cover obscured the sky and not only eliminated the stars for
antenna aiming, but eliminated any
possibility of seeing the aurora.
I arrived in Temiscaming about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night. This gave me
some time to nap before setting
up and listening for meteors.
I started setting up about 2 a.m. which should have allowed me to hear some
Orionid meteors. By this time
there was a steady drizzle (rain not meteors) which was my first clue that
all was not about to go well. I
erected the antenna--a 4-metre, ABS portable mast with the small yagi
pointing straight up toward the zenith--in an empty lot next to the motel.
Then I loosened the two back guy ropes and let the mast tilt so the antenna
elevation angle reduced from 90 deg. to 70 deg with the antenna pointing
toward the north. This is not a good technique and I will redesign the mast
so on future projects it remains vertical while the antenna points at 70
deg.
When I turned on the FM radio and tuned to the unoccupied frequency I
planned to use, there was a steady,
high-amplitude buzz. I searched the alternate frequencies I had listed. The
same thing. I decided that the
problem was somehow related to my location near the motel with the neon
signs, the sodium streetlights, the traffic lights at the nearby
intersection (one of two intersections with traffic lights in Temiscaming),
and the overhead hydro wires. So, I packed up everything and proceeded to
an alternate location a few kilometres away by the Ottawa River. The
location seemed good, but by 3 a.m. the rain was getting heavier, so I
decided to forego the Orionid meteors and listen for sporadic meteors later
on. I headed back to the motel for a few hours sleep.
About 6 a.m. I was back down at the river. The rain was heavier than
before. By the time I put up the antenna
and connected the amplifiers and radio, I was soaked. The buzz was not as
loud, but still there and loud
enough to mask all but the strong meteors. One possibility is that in the
rain there was sufficient leakage
across the insulators on the poles supporting the power lines to create the
buzz. The only way to tell at this point is to return to Temiscaming when
it is dry and try again. Alternatively, I will try another location outside
Temiscaming, such as Tee Lake or Kipawa, or a location farther up the
Ottawa River--possibly Laniel.
Unfortunately, I didn't hear enough to assess the possibility of hearing
signals from southern stations when the antenna is pointed north.
So, what was to be a single, definitive experiment seems to have turned
into another long-term project like
The Waubaushene Project. Depending on the weather, I may not get back to
The Temiscaming Project until
the Spring.
Phil Gebhardt
Stouffville, Ontario, Canada
pgebhardt@compuserve.com
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