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(meteorobs) (Long) 11 Nov Linearids Radio Meteors



Just completed my daily radio meteor scatter contact with Shelby Ennis,
W8WN of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Although the numbers of meteors that I
heard today may not have been any more numerous than usual, the number of
very strong reflections compared to weak reflections, and the comparison
with yesterday when I heard a total of only about 10 meteors within our
daily 15 minute  scheduled contact, was notable. In particular, I recorded
WAV files of two definite "double" meteors of the type I'd mentioned last
week and for which Jim Richardson advanced a theory, along with a third
reflection which may also have been a double although it was spaced
somewhat further than usual. The table below lists the total of meteors
over a time span for our scheduled contacts over the past few weeks (the
time span isn't always constant as sometimes, we continue beyond our basic
15 minute schedule for a few extra minutes):

Date   Actual Time   Number of
(UTC)   (UTC)        Meteors Heard
2 Oct   1130-1146    21 Note 1
5 Oct   1130-1150    22
12 Oct  1130-1145    15
13 Oct  1130-1145    15 Note 2
14 Oct  1130-1145    11
15 Oct  1130-1145    10
16 Oct  1130-1145    20
22 Oct  1130-1145    21 Note 3
23 Oct  1130-1150    25 Note 4
26 Oct  1130-1145    10
27 Oct  1130-1145    19 Note 5
28 Oct  1130-1145    14
3 Nov   1230-1245    24 Change to Standard Time
4 Nov   1230-1245    17 Note *
6 Nov   1230-1245    26  
9 Nov   1230-1245    21
10 Nov  1230-1245    11 Note **
11 Nov  1230-1245    18

Notes:
1. One "burst" lasting 20+ seconds
2. One "burst" lasting 5+ seconds
3. One "burst" lasting 15+ seconds
4. One "burst" lasting 30+ seconds
5. One "burst" lasting 5+ seconds
*. External RF interference began partway through the schedule which may
have covered some weaker pings that I could not hear as they occurred.
**. Reflection signal quality was very poor on my side but Shel reported
nearly normal conditions at his end. Reflections were generally very weak
and sparse for me compared to the norm.

Frequency of Operation: 144.110 MHz
Location of Receiving Equipment: 42.2726 N, 71.7473 W
Receiver: Kenwood TS-700SP transceiver
Antenna: 19 element yagi, horizontally-polarized, 4 meters height
Antenna Heading: 255 degs true
Mode of Operation: high-speed-CW at 10,000 letters-per-minute (virtually a
continous signal)
Location of Distant Transmitter: 37.687500 N, 85.84510 W
Transmitter Power: 1000 watts
Transmitter Antenna: 4x KLM 16 element yagis, horizontally polarized, 30
meters height

Also, note that during our scheduled contact, Shel and I alternate
transmitting and receiving. Thus, the reflections counted above for each
time period are those heard during my own receiving periods, which were the
even-numbered one-minute periods; i.e., from 1230 through 1245, I am
listening a total of 8 minutes while Shel listens a total of 7 minutes.

Other than the reception of three "double" pings this morning, meteors
sounded much like any other morning to me; i.e., if there were any
Linearids, they didn't appear to enhance the total reflection count. Most
showers also produce some long-lasting reflections, called "bursts", which
reflect signals for 5 or longer seconds; none of those occurred today so my
data doesn't appear to show evidence for the hoped-for Linearids shower.
But note the number of "bursts" which occurred throughout October;
normally, other than on shower peak days, I don't record more than one
burst per month. The October bursts were likely Orionids meteors.

Clear skies,

SteveH
Shrewsbury Massachusetts
Amateur Radio Meteor Scatter Station K0XP
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