Read daily operation to use meteor scatter
after software is installed and configured.
Meteor Showers
So ... you want to benefit from a meteor shower?
Example: The
Geminids
start on Dec 10 and peak on Dec 14th, 2013.
Meteor activity is measured in ZHR (zenith hourly rate),
typically 80-120 for Geminids
You might note an apparent surge in speed past local midnight,
as your vantage point turns into the oncoming shower, adding the
velocity of the Earth to the approaching Geminids.
Where in the sky in Gemini?
Hint: Gemini lies between
Taurus
to the west and
Cancer
to the east. The brightest stars in Gemini are Castor and Pollux
on Orion's Belt. But it doesn't matter to hams. The meteors extend
everywhere across the sky. The radiant point is not important.
When can you see Gemini? It has to be up in your sky
to see it. No matter where you live worldwide, the greatest number of
Geminid meteors usually fall after midnight. But you can watch this
shower in late evening as well.
Requirements
Use WSJT software
Use modes FSK441 and ISCAT
Use Ping Jockey to learn who's listening to meteor scatter
You can expect 400 - 1200 mile range
Best sky angle is 4 - 14 degrees (closer stations are
higher in the sky)
Therefore, use 30' tower at most, since you don't want an
extremely flat low-angle pattern
Use beams with pear-shape pattern (avoid beam with lots of sky lobes)
Best angle is for both stations to bounce off a perpendicular
meteor (worst angle is to reflect from a meteor moving in a direction
parallel to both stations)
From my home near Seattle, the 400-1200 mile circle will reach all of California:
Recommended Equipment
Recommend 5-el six meter beam (shorter doesn't have enough gain,
longer doesn't illuminate enough sky)
Recommend 12-el two meter beam
Recommend all the power you can muster (100w will make contacts,
300-500w will make more contacts)
DTV Carrier Frequencies
For USA and Canada, you can watch for over-the-air DTV pilot signals
for an easy target. Note that analog TV carriers previously monitored for
meteor activity were shut down on Dec. 31, 2015 at midnight.
Choose a channel that does not have local interference.
See a YouTube video by "RadioHamGuy" too see example signals,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WEV4kDL2UA
Also check out roswellmeteor.com.