Radio detection of meteors (feedback requested)

[owlice]

APOD viewer Jeremy Exelby writes:

I've been working on radio detection of meteors and have got to the stage where I've written up what I've done (attached). This is not original work, but I think the subject offers great potential as project material for schools and amateurs too, and so I've tried to give some clearer detail than I have seen up to now on the internet about how to enter this field of study.

If you have the time, you are most welcome to look the report over - any comments and suggestions will be most welcome.

The report is in two Word documents: part 1 part 2

[Chris Peterson]

APOD viewer Jeremy Exelby writes:

I've been working on radio detection of meteors and have got to the stage where I've written up what I've done (attached). This is not original work, but I think the subject offers great potential as project material for schools and amateurs too, and so I've tried to give some clearer detail than I have seen up to now on the internet about how to enter this field of study.

If you have the time, you are most welcome to look the report over - any comments and suggestions will be most welcome.

The report is in two Word documents: part 1 part 2

Note that part 2 is not a Word document, but a zipped collection of XML documents.

My comments: a meteor detection system like that outlined is a good science project, and can be fun to operate. In general, however, FM radio stations are not ideal for forward scatter systems. That's because the frequencies are too high, the station signals are too weak, and there is too much interference from competing stations. The signal of choice for serious radio meteor observers has long been TV carriers, but with the rapid adoption of digital TV over recent years, most of these are no longer available. Some observers are now using radar systems, like the "Fence" system used for monitoring the Earth satellite environment. But usable systems are thinly distributed, and many people simply don't have one properly placed to use for meteor detection. So the future of amateur radio meteor work looks pretty dim. Professionals typically use multiple station setups, where they active broadcast the forward signal- not generally practical for amateurs due to cost and licensing issues.

A nice alternative to the car radio for reception is a digital radio. These are now available quite inexpensively- digitally tuned systems that are PC plug-in cards or standalone boxes that connect to a computer by USB. Such units are very versatile for meteor detection, since their native digital output is suitable for a variety of real-time and post-processed signal processing.

[JeremyExelby]

Thanks for your comments Chris, I agree that there are limitations here as far as serious work is concerned, but the main aim is to introduce the topic to science students so hopefully much of the value is in other aspects, such as understanding the thing and putting it all together - at very low cost. We are a bit behind the game here in South africa, and so will have a few more years before the change-over to new technology. I'll also be sure to check out some of your suggestions.

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment

Jeremy

[owlice]

Note that part 2 is not a Word document, but a zipped collection of XML documents.

Chris, thanks for letting me know! It was in .docx format rather than (the expected) .doc format; I've fixed it.

Jeremy, sorry about that!