Institute for telecommunication sciences resources radio propagation software radio propagation software. Bibliography on auroral radio wave propagation internet archive. Qradiopredict is an experimental software for vhfuhf propagation prediction and radio coverage analysis. E3c03 cw is the emission mode that is best for aurora propagation. Radio signals passing through these auroral zones will experience increased signal degradation in the form of fading, multipathing and absorption. In order that radio hams can make the best use of these radio phenomena it is useful to have an understanding of the reasons they occur and the mechanics of how the radio signals. To many people an aurora is a beautiful sight to see but it is also an indication of activity in the skies that can also result in some dramatic changes to radio propagation. Diffraction 1 radio propagation by diffraction over an obstruction when there are two radio antennas located on or near the earths surface propagation can ordinarily occur between them by groundwave.
Radio propagation radio propagation is the study of how radio waves travel from a transmitter site to a receiver site through the atmosphere. Radio propagation along the grey line is very efficient. Thus, aurora and fai backscatter is restricted to particular directions in azimuth and elevation corresponding to scatter volumes located in particular geographical regions. The links below provide information about greyline propagation. High frequency active auroral research program resource. Radio amateurs know this type of extraordinary aurora communication for many years, it is a rare phenomenon though and its scatter geometry was a mystery. Propagation of rf signals american radio relay league. The greyline in real time earth view display on world map. Noaa radio blackout activity and forecast no radio blackouts were observed over the past 24 hours. Elevation profiles are taken from nasa 1 degree srtm 3 arcsec. Jun 23, 2015 a geomagnetic storm was in progress so i did some tuning around on the 6 meter ham band to listen in on some raspy sounding cw morse code signals. Auroral propagation article about auroral propagation by.
As a form of electromagnetic radiation, like light waves, radio waves are affected by the phenomena of reflection, refraction, diffraction, absorpti. High levels of aurora can also make hf ham radio propagation via polar routes difficult. Radio mobile rf propagation simulation software radio. Understanding radio wave propagation can mean the difference between making and missing a contact to a particular part of the world. Quality of the hf communications at the high latitudes depends on a state of the ionosphere and radio wave propagation conditions. Irregular terrain model itm longleyrice 20 mhz 20 ghz if77 wave propagation model gierhartjohnson airground.
Jan 20, 2020 to this website dedicated to radio mobile. The map shows the radio auroral zones as green bands near the northern and southern poles. This beacon system is a well thought out and nicely. High frequency and vhf radio propagation data, solar and geomagnetic. They also indicate a higher chance of seeing a visible aurora northern and southern lights. As a form of electromagnetic radiation, like light waves, radio waves are affected by the phenomena of reflection, refraction, diffraction, absorption, polarization, and scattering. Our software features land mobile vhf, uhf 800mhz, microwave, etc. Dx toolbox from blackcat systems searches the web for you, gathering information on solar and geomagnetic conditions that affect radio propagation. E3c11 aurora e rarely, a strong radio aurora is followed by auroral e, which resembles both propagation types in some ways auroral.
This corresponds to the maximum radio frequency that can be reflected by the f2region of the ionosphere at vertical incidence that is, when the signal is transmitted straight up into the ionosphere. Acehf professional propagation software for hf radio operators. All radio amateurs, scientists, and anyone interested in. An overview, summary or tutorial about the basics of auroral propagation used by radio amateurs and what an aurora is. It provides an interesting means of making radio contacts and has the advantage that it can be sued at times when the propagation conditions on the hf amateur radio bands are likely to be poor. The majority of amateur radio propagation studies presented on this web site focuses on the european dx scene. Acehf system simulation and visualization software, v2. If an obstruction, a hill, a mountain, a building intervenes, propagation can still occur via slant paths over the top edge of the obstruction. This presentation examines hf propagation hf region spans 3 to 30 mhz. E3c04 from the contiguous 48 states, an antenna should be pointed north to take maximum advantage of aurora propagation. Auroral propagation heard on 6 meter ham radio band youtube.
Those two serve as research sources but also find their way into software such as proplab pro or dxatlas. Grayline propagation has been used by expert ham radio operators and dxers for years to catch elusive stations. The theme of this years workshop is the auroral connection, and will include addresses by guest speakers, poster presentations, and demonstrations of relevant instrumentation and software. Dx toolboxs grayline map makes it easy for you to determine where those locations are. Propview propview uses the included ioncap propagation prediction engine to forecast the minimum and maximum useable frequencies between two locations over a specified 24 hour period. In free space, all electromagnetic waves radio, light, xrays, etc obey the inversesquare law which states that the power density of an electromagnetic wave is proportional to the inverse of. But the eregion can gain ionization, with the penetration of auroral electrons. And if you wish to read the article on the aurora and fai dx radius in italian. Aurora forecast maps from fairbanks geophysical institute. Richard and sue buckner teamed with joe ahlgren author of geoclock and steve biro to create a dynamic system simulation and visualization software package which uses the voacap propagation prediction engine to create animated maps and charts to help all users of hf radio choose the best times and frequencies for communications. The international amateur radio union iaru has adapted the north california dx foundation beacons system as the defacto structured network of hf radio cw beacons for propagation assessment for use by radio amateurs for monitoring radio propagation prospects on the hf radio dx bands.
The following image is a recent highresolution map of maximum usable frequencies mufs for 3,000 kilometer radio signal paths. Hf high frequency and vhf radiowave propagation center. The aurora page from michigan tech with some good stills. The program simulates rf propagation and is for free to the amateur radio community. This software by roger coude ve2dbe predicts the performance of vhf and uhf radio systems. Send formated dx spots indicating clearly both locators and the type or propagation.
It is also a map showing the current location of the auroral ovals, the sunrisesunset terminator and the regions of the world where the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon which estimates the grayline corridor where hf propagation is usually enhanced. In 1988, the aurora program was the first amateur radio software to apply. Radio signals are affected by terrain elevation between the sites, and obstructions, including trees, buildings, etc. Guide to the northern and southern lights excellent site with auroral images, news, data, explanations, faqs auroral activity estimates from noaatiros for the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere shows current position and extent of the auroral oval. High frequency radio propagation current optimal frequency. Nearrealtime f2layer critical frequency map the following image is a recent highresolution global map of f2layer critical frequencies. Cu, remko pe1mew click on the subject of your interest in. As a form of electromagnetic radiation, like light waves, radio waves are affected by the phenomena of reflection, refraction, diffraction, absorption, polarization, and. Acehf professional propagation software for hf radio operators dx toolbox from blackcat systems searches the web for you, gathering information on solar and geomagnetic conditions that affect radio propagation. How to use auroral propagation for ham radio electronics.
The bz z axis, and bt total geomagnetic field intensities are plotted, as well as the solar wind angles phi and theta. You may view visual aurora borealis anywhere in the sky but you cannot receive radio signals from auroral backscatter in all antenna directions. Dx toolbox shortwave ham radio hf radio propagation. The socalled unusual aurora qsos do not follow the geometrical rules in fieldaligned backscatter resulting in longdistance qsos which shouldnt exist at all. Feb 25, 2015 qradiopredict is an experimental software for vhfuhf propagation prediction and radio coverage analysis. Check out the acehf propagation software the latest is version 2. The area within the green bands is known as the auroral zone. Usable hf frequencies page refreshed every 20 minutes use the indicated color red, yellow, green, blue, white, etc. This includes the 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meter bands. Absorption auroral and polar cap of hf signal power, the anomalous ionization in the ionospheric fregion f2s at nighthours of winter and equinox, significant negative disturbances in the f2layer at. Radio blackout forecast for may 14may 16 2020 may 14 may 15 may 16 r1r2 1% 1% 1% r3 or greater 1% 1% 1% rationale.
A geomagnetic storm was in progress so i did some tuning around on the 6 meter ham band to listen in on some raspy sounding cw morse code signals. High frequency hf propagation models 230 mhz irregular terrain model itm longleyrice 20 mhz 20 ghz if77 wave propagation model gierhartjohnson airground millimeterwave propagation. His description of the 8 september aurora is worth reading remember to use the back arrow to return here. Jan 20, 2020 radio propagation radio propagation is the study of how radio waves travel from a transmitter site to a receiver site through the atmosphere. While listening or planning to work a dx station, the radio amateur would like to know what are the current propagation conditions, know if the propagation is open toward a specific location at a specific time, or at what time the band will be open for a specific pointtopoint circuit. Propagation excellent site offers current solar indices, 24hour and 3day forecasts, nearrealtime mapplots of global mufs, goes xray flux, auroral activity, solar images and the current greyline. Solar weather, sunspot activity, geomagnetic, aurora, ionospheric reports via. The amateur radio propagation studies webpage features the world of unusual radio.
The rest of information is useless and it doesnt interest anybody. No r1 minor or greater radio blackouts are expected. It is also a map showing the current location of the auroral ovals, the. Demystifying hf radio propagation and modeling check out the acehf propagation software the latest is version 2. E3c11 aurora e rarely, a strong radioaurora is followed by aurorale, which resembles both propagation types in some ways auroral. Radio waves, like light waves and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation, normally. The propagation of radio waves that are reflected from the aurora in the presence of unusual solar activity.
The lack of systematical observation data is an obstacle in radio propagation studies. Uses openstreetmap tiles or public sattelite imagery as background. Nov 25, 2019 the international amateur radio union iaru has adapted the north california dx foundation beacons system as the defacto structured network of hf radio cw beacons for propagation assessment for use by radio amateurs for monitoring radio propagation prospects on the hf radio dx bands. Radio propagation is a term used to explain how radio waves behave when they are transmitted, or are propagated from one point on the earth to another.
The links below provide information about auroral propagation. Strong negative bz axis values often indicate auroral conditions are occuring or are possible, which can severely affect radio propagation, especially over polar paths. So, the better the band conditions, the noisier the band, as were able to copy the qrn by storms farther away. All radio amateurs, scientists, and anyone interested in ionospheric and space physics are welcome to attend. Review of propagation prediction programs voacapbased.
Speaking of propagation, we have a dilemma when it comes to 40m propagation in the summer. This software is even used by the military and other clients around the world. When enough of these particles collide, energy is released in the form of auroral light. High frequency and vhf radio propagation data, solar and geomagnetic realtime and historic data, sunspot activity reports, as well as forecasts. Auroral propagation radio society of great britain. Ideally, it is the total range of deviation at an instant of time from quiet day values of the horizontal magnetic field h around the. This link is listed in our web site directory since sunday mar 11 2012, and till today high frequency active auroral research program has been followed for a total of 357 times. I hope that this website will be your guide for radio mobile and in to the exciting world of radio planning. Internet space weather and radio propagation forecasting course. Current sunspot cycle activity, space weather, solar storm. Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmasters page for free fun content. Any white bubble indicates no suitable frequency or high absorption. The only mf amateur band, 160m, will not be discussed, nor. Currently it works on linux and windows 32 bit vista tested.
Auroral propagation can be a fascinating and rewarding form of propagation for radio amateurs. In aurora and fai radio propagation, radio waves are scattered by structures of. Please note the rsgb is not responsible for the content of external websites. How to use auroral propagation for ham radio electronics notes. Auroral power amateur space weather propagation research. We all want good propagation, but conditions that are favorable for amateur radio signals are also favorable for atmospheric noise.
Acehf is propagation forecasting and modeling for amateur radio as well as for shortwave radio listening and general hf operation. Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves as they travel, or are propagated, from one point to another, or into various parts of the atmosphere. Auroral propagation radio society of great britain main. In addition to creating a pretty light show mostly in upper latitudes, ham radio signals scatter off of these particles and can greatly enhance propagation on the vhf and uhf ham radio bands. The auroral electrojet index, ae, is designed to provide a global, quantitative measure of auroral zone magnetic activity produced by enhanced ionospheric currents flowing below and within the auroral oval. Radio propagation between locations within the grayline region of the world is often greatly enhanced. Articles on aurora and fai amateur radio propagation studies. A comprehensive propagation resource compiled by tomas hood, editor of the propagation columns of cq, cq vhf, popular communications, and monitoring times magazines. Solar weather, geomagnetic, aurora, ionospheric reports via ealerts and webpage. For radio amateurs this could mean degraded performance on the hf amateur radio bands, while at vhf it can give the opportunity for a unique form of radio propagation.
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