Bournemouth NDB

Bournemouth, in the county of Dorset in the United Kingdom, is a well known tourist seaside resort located on the South coast of the UK.

It has an International Airport a short distance from the town and the airport has a website at the link below:

http://www.bournemouthairport.com/bohweb.nsf

However, I had less success in finding the location of the Bournemouth NDB. I had a long look on the Internet but was unable to find the beacon on a map but the coordinates are given by 'The Hanger' as 504604N 015033W.

http://www.thehangar.co.uk/waypoints/sql.php3?sql_order=+order+by+LAT+ASC

I could, however, hear the beacon. The image above shows the trace using my Winradio with it's 70 foot long wire as an inverted 'L' and for my own reference and those who use the G303 by Winradio, I used audio AGC set to 'Fast'.

The beacon is on 399.0 kHz and sends the callsign BIA. The distance between Birmingham and Bournemouth is 126 miles or 202.73 Kilometres and I listened on 19 July 2009 between 19.00 and 22.00 UTC.

Seeing Meteors - The Electronic Way

One of the things that really got me hooked on meteor watching was the ability to actually 'see' them electronically.

I live on the outskirts of a big town in a fairly industrial area and the skies suffer light pollution making the visual spotting of meteors difficult so being able to see them on the computer screen in real time is a real bonus.

Spectrum Analysers
A spectrum analyser is a device that takes a signal as it's input and displays the level of that signal across a range of the audio spectrum. Some analysers works in software and displays the result to the monitor but, of course, require a signal from the radio as input.

It is possible to connect the audio output from a receiver directly to the input of the computer using the 'Line In' connection on the soundboard or, if you really have to, the microphone input.

This is not the best way to connect the two together and many special interfaces exist which isolate and match the devices. However, for many people a simple piece of wire, easily obtainable, will suffice to make a start.

Once the signal arrives inside the computer the spectrum analyser can capture it, analyse it and then display it.

There are various spectrum analysers available, many of which are free of charge. I use one made by DL4YHF since this was the first one I ever encountered. It is extremely good and regularly updated software although it is a little complex to use.

Using a spectrum analyser it is possible to sit on a particular frequency, say one in Band 1, and watch as the meteors ionise a path between you and the transmitting station. As you watch, the meteors appear as tiny 'blips' on the display, each producing the characteristic 'ping'.

It may take a little time to set up, but for me it was well worth it and I still take time to sit and listen when the Earth is passing through one of the major clouds.

So, that is something to try once you are able and I think that wraps up the section in this series on meteor scatter so next week we will begin a look at something different.

Tropical Band DXing - Keeping A Log

It's a good idea to keep a log of the stations you hear. One reason - the obvious one - is so that you always have a record of what you have heard.

The other reason is to be able to compare conditions as they are now with the way they were in the past. This allows you, for example, to monitor the rise and fall of the sunspot cycle.

Finally, a record is needed if you want to apply for an award for stations that you have heard. We will cover this in more detail a little later.

Recording what you hear
There are two ways to record the stations heard. One way is to write down the details in a notebook, recording the frequency, time and signal strength along with any additional information or to record the details in a blog.

As well as this, you can also record the signal of the station digitally as you listen and thus have a record that you can play to others. Compared to a written note this seems better but such a record is not as durable and, unless backed up carefully, can be easily deleted or lost.

The best advice is to keep a notebook or blog and, if you wish, digitally record the stations.

Log books
Since the log will be a document you will want to refer to long after you have made the entries it is advisable to ensure that the log entries are both legible and will be capable of being understood years from now.

You can get computerised log programs where you simply fill in the blanks and the database will make the record. The big advantage is that you can produce all sorts of statistics and search through the information in seconds. The disadvantage is that you have to complete a standard form so there is little you can do to complete a non-standard entry. You also have to be sure to keep a backup safe somewhere.

Alternatively, you can do what thousands of SWLs and radio amateurs have done for years, and fill in a paper notebook using a pen. The advantage of this is that it's easy to accommodate all sorts of entries including comments about conditions and equipment/antennas used but hard to then search through the information and get statistics out.

Ideally, this sort of logbook needs to be a complete book and not loose pages that can get lost or out of order.

A sort of intermediate stage is to create your own electronic log book that will allow you to complete the records the way you want but to do this you need to have an idea what sort of information you will want to record.

The information to record
Radio amateurs usually use the sort of information they used to supply in the days when logs were obligatory. They complete the date, time and band; the station worked; the RST (signal report) and then any notes - usually the other station's name, address and equipment.

For broadcast stations heard then the information could be the date, time, frequency, name of the station, a signal report and some information about the program and any notes about frequencies given or times for future broadcasts.

For utility stations and others, then similar information to that above would probably be sufficient.

Whether you want to create a document on the computer or use a notebook then the following information is suggested as a guide for your logbook:

Date
Time
Frequency
Station heard
Signal report
Station information
My information

'Station information' will be information about the station heard, such as the program content, frequencies and times of other programs.

'My information' is intended for notes about propagation conditions, interference and equipment/antennas used. This is particularly useful when you are experimenting with different equipment setups.

Reports
You need to specify the signal strength which can either be taken from an 'S' meter or simply be 'good, bad, fantastic' or whatever scale you want to use - but be consistent with your scale.

You also may need to record the readability of the station along with details of noise or interference.

You can use any method you like to report the station but use something that will be meaningful years from now.

To help you, there is a recognised method of reporting short wave stations called SINPO. This has been in use since at least the days when I was young and a search for this term will reveal several sites that give guidance on how to use it.

Most people keep a log of stations they have heard and if the log is standardised then it will be the most use in the years to come.

We need to cover blogs and, very quickly, the subject of awards which we will do next week.

NDB Warton

The next Non-Directional beacon to look at is Warton in the county of Lancashire, England, UK.

The beacon is due East of Warton Airfield which is a private airport and located West of the town of Preston. It was built originally by the American airforce in 1942 and used extensively during the Second World War but is now home to a large aerospace facility.

The beacon is located in a field about a mile to the East and the exact location and map can be found from The Hanger - url below:

http://www.thehangar.co.uk/waypoints/waypoints.shtml

Those who read my personal blog will know that I now (at last) have put up the 70 foot long wire again and the trace above is taken with the Winradio G303 and long wire. For my own reference, and for anyone else who uses the G303, I used audio AGC set to 'Fast' and a 200 cycle bandwidth. The trace was taken at 0710 on Sunday 12 July 2009.

The aid sends the callsign 'WTN' and is found on 337kHZ. As can be seen, the trace is quite clear and the distance is around 120 miles.

Meteor Scatter Of VHF Signals 3

We have looked at meteor scatter in quite a bit of depth already in the last two instalments posted to this blog.

If you want to read them, they are posted on Friday so just look back for the last two Fridays. Today, however, we will continue the series by looking at how to get the signal to the receiver.

Antennas
I always start a post on antennas by saying the same thing: the antenna is the most important part of your setup, it doesn't matter how fantastic your receiver, if the antenna doesn't deliver the signal then you won't hear the station!

So, if it all comes down to money (as so often it does) then you get more signal for your money by spending it on the antenna not the receiver.

Bear this in mind as we look at antennas by frequency.

50MHz
I began meteor scatter using TV frequencies around 50MHz which is (in Europe) Band 1. In particular, I listen on channel R1, which is the old Russian channel, and channel E2.

Again, I must stress that analogue TV is disappearing fast so make sure that the station you choose is still broadcasting before you attempt to listen to it!

I began using a random length of wire and then acquired an old adjustable dipole which I could set to the exact frequency and put this up in the attic of the house.

What a difference! Signals were not just a little stronger but considerably stronger and that convinced me to always try to use the best antenna I could.

So, for these frequencies a metal dipole is perfect while a wire antenna cut to the frequency in use is almost as good. Antennas made of metal tubing have a wider frequency range rather than wire which is one reason why they are preferred for antennas at these and higher frequencies.

However, if all you have is wire, cut a dipole for the centre of the range you want to hear and it will be almost as good (and a lot cheaper).

The formula is 468 divided by the frequency and this gives the total length of the wire in feet. If you search for '6m dipole antenna formula' you will get various construction projects as well that will help.

Simply adjust the length to suit the range you use and cut the length of wire in half to make two identical sections. Connect one (it doesn't matter which) to the inside wire of a length of coax and the other to the screen wire. Now connect to the receiver and you are set to go.

If you mount the antenna outside (and this is preferred) always make sure that the join between the coax and the wire is well waterproofed with self-amalgamating tape. If water finds a way into the join you will lose a lot of the signal because it will then get into the coax.

Finally, know the direction that the signal will arrive from and position the antenna so it is pointing towards that direction.

2m 70cm
For the 2m and 70cm amateur bands, a purpose built yagi antenna works well but requires a rotator. However a simple dipole or collinear will catch the signals almost as well.

On these bands, meteor scatter signals are less strong so some extra help from the antenna is a good idea.

You can construct 2 metre antennas quite easily from stiff wire and PVC tube. Do this if you want to try the band first but a purpose built amateur radio antenna is not that expensive and probably a good deal better. That said, I had a lot of fun making 2 metre antennas out of wire and PVC piping!

Again, the higher the better for this band so that the antenna is clear of obstructions.

That concludes this post on antennas. Next week we will look at something that I found completely fascinating and which took my enjoyment of meteor scatter to a whole new level.

An Update On Sunspot 1024

Sunspots can be beautiful things but, sadly, beauty doesn't last forever and soon the spot will slowly disappear. But it's not disappearing in the sense of ending, not one bit of it!

As the sun rotates, so the spots are carried along with the rotation and, of course, eventually they vanish out of sight as that face disappears from view. So, sunspot 1024 will soon move around and behind us and we will no longer be able to see it.

Helioseismic Holography
Well, that's not completely true. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's Michelson-Doppler Imager can see behind the sun.

This is very clever science and it does it by monitoring sound vibrations on the sun's surface on the side you can see.

You can see a 'map' of the farside of the sun by going to the url below.

http://gong.nso.edu/data/farside/

So when the sunspot moves behind the solar disk it's path can still be followed.

'Best for two years'
According to the Space Weather website this sunspot has provided the 'best display of sunspots for nearly two years'.

OK, my memory is not as good as their's but, thinking back, it is a long time indeed since I watched a spot of this size whiz around.

They also comment that it's a spot belonging to this cycle (Cycle 24) and that it 'probably heralds more to come'.

Well, I wish I could be that optimistic. I'm sure we will get more but I have a feeling that we will get a lot more weaker single spots first but we will see.

The lovely photo of the sun above is taken from the SOHO (ESA & NASA) website, the url for which is below. From it you can see various images of the sun and read some explanations about the science undertaken.

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

Let's hope that I will be posting some new images of more sunspots shortly.

Sammy And The Buxton Beacon

Sammy, my Samsung NC10 netbook, is again running the Icom PCR1500 software and this time there is a little sporadic E propagation that enables the local 6m beacon, GB3BUX, to come through quite clearly.

Above is a screenshot of the software and Spectrum Lab (by DL4YHF) showing clearly the trace of the beacon. Note that each minute, marked by the vertical lines on the trace, there is a short identification CW pulse sending the callsign and this can be clearly seen. (The trace runs right to left rather than top to bottom.)

There some smears on the trace that may well be aircraft reflections.

The PCR1500 is shown in component view rather in communications view and only two of the modules are present. This is a good way to get the whole thing plus a spectrum analyser on the screen and see both of them!