As shown in the graphic above, the GRAVES radar system in France is used to detect satellites that go over France. The transmitter on 143.050 MHz near Dijon in the east of France runs huge power levels in the effective region of hundreds of kilowatts and reflected signals are picked up by special receiving station in a different part of the country.
One of the upsides of all this is that this 'radio curtain' over France will also interact with ionised trails of gas left by meteors as they enter the atmosphere.
On Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in the far west of Scotland, there is a dedicated receiver that listens for the GRAVES signal on 143.050 MHz with a directional beam.
The online receiver with info can be found here... http://hebweather.net/meteor-echoes/
I had a listen during the Perseid meteor shower and got this good example of a meteor burst...
It's worth pointing that you can listen for meteor bursts regardless of the weather. It can make for an interesting alternative when the skies are cloudy.
The best time of day is usually during the morning peak at 06:00 UTC for stations in the UK & Ireland and obviously during major meteor showers.
3 comments:
should that not be 6AM LOCAL/Solar time rather than UTC?
m0mpm - michael
Hi Michael, I've updated the post to clarify that it's 06:00 UTC for stations in the UK & Ireland.
For the UK in terms of local time, the peak is 6am in the Winter (same as UTC) and 7am in the Summer when the clocks are one hour ahead.
John, EI7GL
Can anyone confirm if the facility is now operational after the refurbishment programme.
Roger G4DHK Aug 2023
Post a Comment