Meteor scatter from KN09, or how to try it

"LZ1KWT 27 27 OM0AAO LZ1KWT 27 27 OM0AAO": such an ordinary sounding line. But no! It's a line from my first MS connection, which I did on Saturday with nadran. A connection that was preceded by half a year of preparation.

At the very beginning, I want to thank the EU VHF community (even if they probably won't read these lines) focused on ON4KST chat and especially to Matej OK1TEH for valuable advice and encouragement.

Theory and preparation for meteor scatter

Teóriu MS prevádzky si môžete prečítať v rôznych rádioamatérskych publikáciách. This article can be an inspiration for those who would like to see a similar line on their monitor...
Vždy je najlepšie si veci čo najviac uľahčiť. The most viable MS path is through Joe K1JT's WSJT program. Dostať sa k nemu môžete na Internete, napr. na Make More Miles on VHF, čo je výborná stránka o VHF. The second interesting side is https://www.vhfdx.de, on which there are many links to pages related to VKV operation.

But not only the Internet is suitable as an aid to MS operation. A packet will serve almost as well, and sometimes even better, whether for negotiating skeds or DX cluster. Ten je dostupný z viacerých miest aj na Internete, napr. GB7BAA, alebo OH2AQ.

To begin with, it is better to focus on swarm meteorites, specifically on the period before the predicted maximum, or on. Na ich termíny pravidelne upozorňuje množstvo rádioamatérskych stránok. Odrazy sú možné iba za určitých podmienok (azimuth a elevácia radiantu roja, rýchlosť pohybu a intenzita). The program The Meteor Scatter Predictor from DL5BAC provides an excellent orientation about the possibilities of connection in a certain direction.

Meteor scatter practically

I started with August Perseid reception, because I did not believe that it was possible to make a connection with a 25W and 10 decibel antenna. Nedávno som na ON4KST sledoval spojenie medzi dvoma stanicami, pričom jeden z nich mal iba 25W a 7 elementovú anténu! Trvalo to síce dlhšie, ale nakoniec ho skompletizovali.

I also only "listened" to the following swarms and completed the source and output stage with the KP920A. However, I did not make it to the December Geminids. The sked with Claudio IV3DXW after the max was unsuccessful, I received a single ping in thirty minutes. However, I did the HA75MS on the tropo.

That was also good for something... Stations calling on 144.370 are used to listening on the frequency where they tune in. Hneď ako dekódujete vysielanie stanice o ktorú máte záujem, nalaďte sa a začnite vysielať. Ja som to zistil až po pár reláciách HA75MS…

Pokiaľ Vám stanica neodpovie do 15-20 minút, neoplatí sa vysielať ďalej. Skompletizovanie MS procedúry by totiž trvalo veľmi dlho. If you catch a broadcast that is not intended for you, stop broadcasting immediately.

Veľmi dôležitou vecou pri MS je presný čas (na sekundu). In case of an inaccurate time, it may happen that the stations will broadcast in the same period. Anyone who has the opportunity to synchronize computer time with the atomic standard via the Internet should definitely use it.

Záznamy meteor scatter

I called LZ1KWT for the third time. On two occasions I received a ping for another station. I called for the third time and completed the connection in about 15 minutes. Even though my head was already falling into the keyboard, it spurred me on to further activity. However, it was already relatively late and the stations mostly only gave a call without specifying the frequency, making connections directly to 144.370, which led to mutual interference.

Of course I would like to make more connections for other swarms. There are a lot of people interested in KN09, applications for sked are already starting to be collected. I am also registering increased interest in other squares (KN08, KN18 and KN19). Čo tak skúsiť meteor scatter?

[1] Meteor scater spojenie odrazom od meteorických stôp: Gyetvay Zoltán OM7AQ, Zborník prednášok Tatry 1998 [2] WSJT program for communication using weak signals from K1JT: Ing. Zajac Pavol OM5CM, Collection of lectures Tatra 2001 [3] WSJT – nová digitálna prevádzka pre VKV DX-manov: Roman Kudláč OM3EI, Rádiožurnál 4/2001 [4] The ARRL Operational Manual