Satgen240 Aurora and HF Satellites by GM4IHJ 30th Oct 93 BID of this msg is SGEN240 Please use this BID if you retransmit the msg Amsat has spent, and is spending millions on Phase 3 High Elliptical orbiters, which require expensive ground station equipment, and do not always work as planned. Is this the only way to go ? Offered here in exchange is a recent real time itinerary for Radio Sport 12 on Monday 25th October last. 1140 to 1148 ut Had passed over UK and was then accessible sub horizon to 63N 219W ie in range JA and UA0. 1450 to 1506 ut Acquired when sub horizon over Nova Scotia ( ie in range Great Lakes to Florida ), then tracked over UK to northern Russia in range Asiatic Russia. 1646 to 1700 ut. Acquired when sub horizon over Central Canada ( ie in range all US Mid West ) then tracked eastwards until again over Russia. 2019 to 2041 ut Acquired while sub horizon over Alaska ( ie in range all Alaska and Western Canada ), then tracked until over Egypt ( in range all East Africa ). 2205 to 2227 ut Acquired sub horizon over Alaska ( ie in range Alaska and Pacific Northwest ) then tracked until over Morocco ( in range all Northwest Africa ). I concede that a 5 orbit Bonanza tour of DX localities is not available every day ( 15 days so far this year ) but single or double orbit tours have been available on more than 50 days so far. All that is required is plasma in the F layer of the polar ionosphere, and as the above shows, it does not matter whether the pole itself is in early winter darkness or, we are getting down to very low sunspot numbers . The plasma seems to get there in two different ways :- 1. When a southerly Interplanetary Magnetic field couples with the Earth's Magnetic Field, allowing solar wind plasma in between the magnetic field lines and down to the Earth's polar regions. 2. OR When a solar storm ( or in this case probably a coronal hole ) causes a Radio Aurora. Which became evident at 1140 when the satellite signal went auroral although terrestrial auroral communications did not begin at GM4IHJ until 1502 ut. Throughout the day , as soon as the satellite approached the far Pacific side of the Kp3 ( signifies small ) auroral oval. It could see from its height of 1000kms across the pole to the top of the other side of the auroral oval which lay about 500 then later 300 kms north of UK. This Kp3 auroral top has been shown to contain plasma as high as 200 kms or more (eg more F layer than E layer ), and it is quite capable of refraction or scatter propagating 21.21 MHz signals from UK to the satellite, and , 29.41 MHz signals from the satellite to UK Conclusion. The events of 25 Oct were clearly aurorally assisted. There is no need to spend thousands . Just get your HF rig and a simple beam or wire antenna and have a good time on RadioSport 12. Remember- you do not have to be the station near the aurora. This works two ways. The JAs under the sat footprint at 1148, the KLs and VE8s under it at 1646, 2019 and 2205 ut could all access the satellite " when it could see the top of a quite small aurora north of UK", giving them access to all of Northern Europe. Will this work down in the southern hemisphere ? There are very few stations below 50S able to be near a weak aurora and the greater decoupling of rotation and magnetic south poles adds a lot more uncertainty to any prediction.73 de John GM4IHJ @ GB7SAN