Satgen 613  Holiday Cheer  by GM4IHJ  (BID SGEN613)  2000-12-23

As most of the Amateur Radio Satellite community holds its breath
in respect of the troubled AO40. There are plenty of other
interesting events to observe over the next 14 days.

The 27 day solar flux cycle is at or near its peak , with the result
that RadioSport 13 sub horizon DX contacts offer excellent
opportunities for collecting a few new countries whilst many
operators have crept into the shack to get a short respite from the
festive cheer. Whilst equally important the solar flux peak is
providing excellent 50MHz DX openings for Northern Europeans , to the
Middle East and Africa, each morning sometimes as early as 0730z ( 90 
minutes before the Scottish sunrise ), lasting to 0900 on most days
but staying alive till 1200z on one or two days. Further south in
Europe conditions are even better with 50 MHz transatlantics being
possible on some days. And, concurrent with this amateur radio
activity, DX TV on 48 MHz has been coming into Scotland most mornings
between 0820 and 1120z. Albeit as typical F layer propagation -
blurred low bandwidth pictures , often with overlapping frames from
several stations , or multipath from a single station.

Meanwhile meteor scatter observers may get something unusual at
around 0730 to 0830 on December 22nd . When the normally placid
Ursids shower is due to peak. This year being a 13th annual return ,
noting that previous peaks have occured at 13.5 year intervals , with
1986 being quite special. Unlike most meteor streams the Ursids do
not travel in the plane of the ecliptic where all the planets are.
Something, either in its original solar system entry trajectory or
more probably Jupiter or Saturn interference subsequent to a normal
first entry along the ecliptic, has pushed the Ursids into a high
inclination near polar 24 hour visibility orbit. Recent observations
suggest that each pass of its parent comet Tuttle has produced a
highly compacted thin stream. A fact which did not become obvious
until IRAS the first really successful Infra Red satellite produced
sky pictures showing infra red radiation coming from comet dust
streams stretching for millions of miles . Rather like aircraft
vapour trails. Trails which subsequently proved to be closely
associated with the orbits of particular comets.

Last but not least. The well known Quadrantids meteor shower is due
to peak at about 1200z on 3rd January 2001. Famous as a massive short
duration shower during the 1980s, the Quadrantids have not always
performed well in recent years. The display is easily missed ,
lasting only about 2 hours . Who knows , 3rd Jan 2001 may produce a
return to the good old days and give us a massive shower like 1981
when the signal ping rate became so high and continuous it was
impossible to count them . At which point this observer switched to
watching 48MHz TV pictures flashing on and off on a mini BandW TV
display. Where the picture rate momentarily exceeded 180 pictures per
hour , ie 3 pictures every minute for a ten minute period at the
showers peak.