
Radio Meteor Observation Bulletin No. 19                       March 1995


1. FORWARD SCATTER METEOR OBSERVATIONS


Observer: Maurice De Meyere
Location: Deurle, Belgium  (3 37' E, 51 00' N)
Frequency: 66.18 MHz
Transmitter locations:
         Katowice, PR3,    Poland,   65.99 MHz, 52 kW, distance 1100 km
         P. Neant, PR3,    Romania,  66.17 MHz, 40 kW, distance 1400 km
         Czestochowa, PR3, Poland,   66.23 MHz, 34 kW, distance 1080 km
         Gdansk, PR3,      Poland,   66.29 MHz, 89 kW, distance 1100 km

Antenna: crossed Yagi, 4 elements, astronomical azimuth 270 o (= East),
         elevation 30 o
         Antenna amplifier: 25 dB  max level  90 dBmuV
Receiver: commercial, Progresson 447A, TESLA, Bratislava
         Sensitivity: 8 muV for S/N = 26 dB  (300 Ohm)
Observing method: automated setup, 150 samples/second,  8 bit resolution.
         [Time and details of all individual meteor reflections are stored on
         file in the University of Ghent format  (Prometeos), and are
         available for further analysis. Reduction software for DOS and
         Windows available].

         Raw counts of reflections with a duration of at least 0.027 s
         during one hour interval starting at UT:

                                February 1995

   Feb |
  1995 |   20h  21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05   06   07
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
  1- 2 |   33   27   30   10   19   11   13   26   21   12   15   31
  2- 3 |   45   44   37   32   30   26   27   33   19   24   14   17
  3- 4 |   44   38   33   18   21   20   18   37   31   26   26   28
  4- 5 |   29   44   25   27   24   20   28   17   11   20   30   23
  5- 6 |   31   36   34   27   21   28   18   25   41   30   26   37
  6- 7 |    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
  7- 8 |   43   40   34   27   30   34   25   37   37   33   26   26
  8- 9 |   50   63   44   28   32   39   26   43   37   38   27   23
  9-10 |   46   45   45   23   41   32   21   58   37   38   49   51
 10-11 |   59   60   39   54   26   37   17   26   29   26   29   29
 11-12 |   52   54   53   34   24   28   23   22   32   31   28   28
 12-13 |   37   29   37   28   29   17   19   30   22   21   31   16
 13-14 |   54   44   48   31   34   27   19   25   33   30   31   25
 14-15 |   36   33   27   36   28   24   21   22   17   24   25   17
 15-16 |   54   51   28   19   18   18    6   25   29   26   22   23
 16-17 |   41   63   35   35   18   15   22   11   19   16   27   22
 17-18 |   38   47   22   23   18   12   12   25   20   27   20   30
 18-19 |   36   40   23   26   13   17    8   16   19   22   22   21
 19-20 |   52   38   29   20    9   20    9   19   19   23   23   19
 20-21 |   29   25   34   17   14    7    9   18   26   17   25   28
 21-22 |   56   36   51   28   30   15   13   29   33   40   18   34
 22-23 |   47   60   51   38   30   31   26   33   28   34   20   31
 23-24 |   47   51   38   34   22   18   24   35   25   38   39   52
 24-25 |   47   50   32   27   22   16   22   41   12   28   25   30
 25-26 |   58   59   66   24   26   30   16   45   28   46   61   50
 26-27 |   53   71   32   31   26   14   17   35   36   30   32   31
 27-28 |   35   24   18   19   19   11   10   17   15    8   13   19
 28- 1 |   30   34   16   21   31   13   13    9   12   25   23   23
 ------|-------------------------------------------------------------
  1995 |   20h  21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05   06   07
   Feb |

Notes:

 .     The Polish transmitters are not broadcasting between 2h-5h local time
       (Sat-Sun 3h-6h local time) or sometimes longer. (When winter hour is
       in use: local time = UT + 1h).


        Maurice De Meyere / Chris Steyaert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer: Ingo Reimann
Location: Luebeck, Germany (10 51'01" E, 53 57'21" N, 13 m above sea level)
Antenna: 6 element Yagi
Frequency: 88.40 MHz (three or more stations)
Antennae: 6 element Yagi, geographical azimuth 340 o, elevation 53 o 
Receiver: Technics ST-Z55 with SU-V505
Observing method: listening (tape-recordings)

Raw counts of reflections during one hour interval starting at UT:


 Dec  |                       Day
 1994 |   08h  09   10   11   12   13   14   15   21   22   23
----------------------------------------------------------------
 04h  |   -    -     -    -    -   28   58   11    7    3    2
 05   |   13   20   11   20    5   15   58    -    -    -    -
 06   |   11   38   20   29   22   55   63   33    -    -    -
 07   |   -    -    14   17   21   36   57   31    6   20    4
 08   |   -    -     -    -   23   40   50    -    -    -    -
 09   |   -    -     -    -   20   22   30    -    -    -    -
 10   |   -    -     -    2   10   34   21    -    6   11    6
 11   |   -    -     -   12   14   15   12    -    -    -    -
 12   |   -    -     -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
 13   |   -    -     -    -    -    -    -    -    1    7    3
 14   |   -    -     -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
 15   |   -    -     -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
 16   |   -    -     -    -    -    -    -    -    9    3    -
 17   |   -    -     -    -    -    -    -    -    7    5    -
 18   |   -    -     -    -    -   20   18    -    7    9    -
 19   |   -    -     -    -   14   24   33    4    1    9    5
 20   |  14    -     -    -   16   44   26    5    6    1    0
 21   |  13    11   10   23   30   45   31    9    0    6    -
 22   |  14     8   14   14   17   22   29    -    1    7    -
 23   |   -    -     -    -   -    49   20    -    -    -    -
 00   |   -    -     -    -   20   52   15    -    -    -    -
----------------------------------------------------------------
 1994 |  08h   09   10   11   12   13   14   15   21h  22   23
 Dec  |

 Jan  |
 1995 |   21h  22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05
-----------------------------------------------------
 02-03|   11   11   17   19   32   40   32   34   25
-----------------------------------------------------
 1995 |   21h  22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05
 Jan  |


    Ingo Reimann / Jeroen Van Wassenhove

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer: George J. Zay
Location: Descanso, California, USA (116 38' W, 32 50' N, 1003 m above sea
          level)
Frequency: 92.90 MHz
Transmitter location: Flagstaff, Arizona,  distance: 538 km
Transmitter power: 100 kW ; 24h/day and 7 days a week
Antenna: 6 element Yagi, geographical azimuth 60 o, elevation 45 o 
Receiver: JVC RX-302BK Digital Receiver
Observing method: listening


Raw counts of reflections during one hour interval starting at UT:


  1995 |   06h  07   08   09   10   11   12   13
 -------------------------------------------------
 28 Jan|   07*  20   32   43   43   31   30   31
 -------------------------------------------------
  1995 |   06h  07   08   09   10   11   12   13

  1995 |   02h  03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10   11   12   13
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
  3 Feb|   04*  03   00   07   06   04   09   11   15   24    -    -
  4 Feb|    -    -    -   05*  13   24   36   40   29   40   41   16&
  5 Feb|    -    -    -    -    -   09   25   50   32   29    -   16&
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
  1995 |   02h  03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10   11   12   13


 & : first 30 minutes of the interval
 * :  last 30 minutes of the interval


  George J. Zay / Jeroen Van Wassenhove


2. PUBLICATION

(For our Dutch capable readers). Graduate thesis of Christophe Van Bavinchove
at the University of Ghent, Belgium: "De automatische waarneming van meteoren
door middel van radioreflecties op 66 MHz." (The automatic observation of
meteors by means of radio reflections on 66 MHz).  pp. 115 + appendix 21 p.
Presented by Prof. Dr. H. Dejonghe and Prof. Dr. R. Bouciqu.

  Chapter 1 treats the physical model of reflections of radio waves by
meteors, and can be called classical.
  Chapter 2 describes the technical aspects of the equipment, consisting of
a 4 element Yagi antenna, receiver, A/D converter and computer for storing
and visualisation. This setup has been expanded over the last four years to
the current high quality configuration. The author gives full specifications
and drawings of all major components of the system.
  Chapter 3, the development of an automatic interference detection system
and discussion of the results, brings some striking new results, and gives
hints for making the detection of meteors more reliable. Very good results
were obtained with a dual setup: two receivers at the same location are tuned
to different frequencies, and their signals are fed into different channels
of the same A/D converter in the computer. This so called anti-coincidence
setup allows to eliminate local electromagnetic interference (which is always
broadbanded) completely! Also experiments with the two receivers at a
distance of a few kilometers were performed.
  The appendix describes the new file format which had to be developed
for the multi-channel setup. This tagged file format is much more flexible
than the previously used one. Hopefully it becomes the standard that will
allow the exchange of data between various teams. The source code of the
measurement program in Pascal is included.

  This work is the ideal guide for building low budget - but highly reliable -
automated forward scatter installations!

     Chris Steyaert


3. ABOUT THE RMOB

The RMOB is an independent initiative of some workers in the field of radio
meteor scatter observations and data reduction. It started in August 1993
in order to spread rapidly the Perseid results via E-mail. Since then, it
has appeared monthly, and has gradually been expanded.

Typically it contains: summaries of recent observations, first results of
stream activity by radio methods, relations between radio and optical
meteors, references to other publications in the field of meteor astronomy
and radio scatter techniques, announcements of meetings, short questions and
answers, non-commercial (second hand) sale of radio equipment, available
software.

Contributors are mentioned, and interested persons are asked to contact them
directly.

RMOB can be copied freely in unabridged and unmodified form. Extracts should
indicate the source (Radio Meteor Obs Bulletin, month and year).

If you want to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the E-mail distribution list,
please send a message to C. Steyaert.
Those not having access to E-mail can obtain a printed copy free of charge
from J. Van Wassenhove (current or back-issues).


3. CONTRIBUTORS / USEFUL ADDRESSES

Maurice De Meyere
Hullekensstraat 24, B 9831 Deurle, Belgium
tel: +32 (9) 282 35 26
Call: ON4NU,  packet: ON4NU@ON4AWP
E-mail: via Chris Steyaert

Ingo Reimann
Roennauer Ring 38, D 23570 Luebeck, Germany

Chris Steyaert, VVS
Kruisven 66, B 2400 Mol, Belgium
tel: +32 (14) 31 51 04
fax: +32 (14) 22 13 73
E-mail: steyaert@vvs.innet.be

Jeroen Van Wassenhove, VVS
's Gravenstraat 66, B 9810 Nazareth, Belgium
tel: +32 (9) 385 61 09
E-mail: 100101.734@compuserve.com

Paul Vauterin, University of Ghent, Astronomical Observatory
E-mail: paul@izar.rug.ac.be

George J. Zay
3946 Paula Street
La Mesa, CA 91941, USA

--
Christian Steyaert            (RMOB9502)                       8 March 1995
--


