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

You can read the theory of MS operation in various radio amateur publications. This article can be an inspiration for those who would like to see a similar line on their monitor...
It's always best to make things as easy as possible. The most viable MS path is through Joe K1JT's WSJT program. You can access it on the Internet, e.g. on Make More Miles on VHF, which is an excellent site about 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. It is available from several places also on the Internet, e.g. GB7BAA, or OH2AQ.

To begin with, it is better to focus on swarm meteorites, specifically on the period before the predicted maximum, or on. A number of radio amateur sites regularly point out their dates. Reflections are only possible under certain conditions (azimuth and swarm radiant elevation, movement speed, and intensity). 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. I recently watched a link between two stations on ON4KST, one of which only had a 25W 7 element antenna! It took longer, but in the end they completed it.

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. As soon as you decode the broadcast of the station you are interested in, tune in and start broadcasting. I only found out after a few HA75MS sessions...

If the station does not answer you within 15-20 minutes, it is not worth broadcasting further. Completing the MS procedure would take a very long time. If you catch a broadcast that is not intended for you, stop broadcasting immediately.

A very important thing in the MS is the exact time (to the second). 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 scatter connection by reflection from meteor trails: Gyetvay Zoltán OM7AQ, Collection of Tatra lectures 1998
[2] WSJT program for communication using weak signals from K1JT: Ing. Zajac Pavol OM5CM, Collection of lectures Tatra 2001
[3] WSJT – new digital operation for VKV DX-men: Roman Kudláč OM3EI, Rádiožurnál 4/2001
[4] The ARRL Operational Manual