I don't know about a website, but there are various radio hobby discussion lists out there, and someone on these lists may know of such a website. One I belong to is <amfmtvdx@qthdot net>, which is a discussion group for aficionados of AM, FM, and TV "DXing" (listening or watching for distant signals). A number of members will post notices of sporadic-E skip conditions when they are noticed as well as the locations they are situated in, so that others may be alerted to and enjoy the conditions. FM and TV signals can skip incredible distances during this phenomenon.Does anyone know of a web site that tracks sporadic-e conditions over North America?
Some unsung engineer remembered that meteor trains reflected FM signals and the network was designed around that fact.
I also do my own version of meteor scatter DXing
when there are showers happening. I tune to the quietest frequencies
I can find on the FM band and monitor. I usually hear many 1/2 to
1 seconds "blips", some 2-3 second "flutters" or bursts of station audio,
and on occasion a burst will last 10-15 seconds.
Of course, getting a station's identification or enough information from an advertisement to determine where the station is from is like the proverbial needle in a haystack, but it's a challenge. I was able (with the help of a certain listener on the amfmtvdx list) to pin down the location of a station I heard during the Geminids meteor shower; I am in southern Ontario, near Hamilton, and the station is in Havana, Florida (near Tallahassee). I heard a certain part of town mentioned in an advertisement and posted what I heard; a listener in Nebraska recognized the street names because he lived in Tallahassee a few years ago, and from there I found the station phone number and called them, and they said "That's us!". They also thought the mode of reception was pretty cool too.
I will put out a call on amfmtvdx to see if anyone knows of a website that deals with sporadic-E. Somewhere in my bookmarks is a similar reflector that amateurs, etc. post any kind of conditions to that they are noticing, e.g. tropospheric ducting, E-skip, meteor scatter, auroral, you name it; if it is a mode that can be worked, chances are there's an amateur out there talking to someone because of it!
Cheers!
Mike Csorbay VE3YMC
York, Ontario, CANADA.
"John R. Meyer" wrote:
Dear Net Members:This past Sunday between 5 PM and 8 PM (local Arizona time) we experienced
continuous signals on all three of our FM band radio meteor receivers. We
suspect that a sporadic-e cloud was the culprit. Limited local reports
indicated noisy TV reception during this time as well as an amateur radio 2
meter DX contact of up to 1,500 miles. into the North East. One ham also
reported what he thought was an aurora scatter contact.I am wondering if any radio meteor observers or amateur radio operators on
this net may have experienced unusual conditions during the above time in
North America. Any details would be appreciated. We are trying to pin down
the source of some atmospheric or ionospheric noise that we encounter from
time to time.Does anyone know of a web site that tracks sporadic-e conditions over North
America?Regards,
John Meyer
Van Andel Creation Research Center
Chino Valley, AZTo UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
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