12/24/2009 | WA3YGQ This contest is designed with the Geminid Meteor shower in mind. I tracked a total of seven different meteor showers during the contest. I used a replica of D.R.W. McKinley's (author of " Meteor Science & Engineering" 1961 McGraw Hill) 10 meter sporadic meteor antenna . From DEC 1948 till March 1950 he observed and measured over 10,000 sporadic meteor velocities. He used two identical antennas. The frequency he used was 10 meters and with 1.5 KW CW techniques, In comparison I used 100 watts. McKinley used one antenna for receive and one antenna for transmit seperated by 7.5 KM. The antennas were half wave dipoles a 1/4 wave off the ground yielding high angle radiation. Saturdays experience of the popping in & out of signals is typical of meteor scatter on 6 meters. Saturday night signals were picked up better still with deep QSB fades known in meteor circles at the FRESNEL ZONE EFFECT. Getting closer to the Geminid peak during Sunday; signals still had deep fades. Mostly the propagation being right angles to the Geminid radiant. Sporadic E abounds with this propagation centered on certain areas till the radiant moved ie... Like working several Alabama stations, then working several Texas stations. Highlight of the contest came at 2139 UTC working PY2LSM (other PYs & a CX heard). I am too far North for TEP propagation (41.4 North) MUF was not to 10 meters. Using the W6EL Prop program a flux of 80 (actually 75.5 for DEC 13)and a K index of 1 yielded a MUF of 16 MHZ max at about this time. This program showed a bearing of 153 degrees azimuth to central Brazil. Right angles to the Geminid radiant was 120 degrees Azimuth and 2 degrees above my horizon and to the AntiHelion (Sporadic meteor source) 138 degrees Azimuth & 10 degrees below my horizon.This is a good direction to the east coast of Brazil. Since, the MUF was not high enough, the only way I could work Brazil at this time was via meteor propagation from over dense meteor trails of the Geminid meteor shower. Call it Sporadic E if you want. About 7 hours later at 0500 UTC 14 DEC the Geminid meteor shower peaked. www.myspace.com/wa3ygq contains meteor info I have been observing and www.twitter.com/wa3ygq contains meteor tweets on all bands from VLF to UHF. Sporadic E is nothing but meteor propagation / all bands.
I will only be in the ARRL contest to observe meteor propagation (29 QSOs in this one) and will use the soapbox as a means to express my meteor observations.
Merry Christmas 73's Bob WA3YGQ -- WA3YGQ