The rtlsdr is an ultra cheap software defined radio based on dvbt tv tuners with rtl2832u chips. Ham radio uses shortwave frequencies these bounce off the ionosphere to come back to earth, which is the whole point of shortwave and ham radio. Because of the equipment and expertise necessary for successful moonbounce operating, this facet of amateur radio has been traditionally confined to a small audience. As the moon travels around the earth in a cycle of about 28 days different parameters tells us what days are good and what days are bad. Recent advances in amateur equipment have brought eme even closer to the mainstream of amateur radio.
Werfrieds radio meteor gallery an excellent application of fftdsp no longer active but hope to have a new site in the future n1bugs eme info and mm software. Moonnet is an email reflector intended for discussion and announcements concerning amateur radio moonbounce communications. What you need is ultrahigh frequency radio that goes through the ionosphere to reach outer space. He is currently active on cw traffic nets on hf as well as smallstation eme and other weaksignal modes on vhfuhf. Here is what i use and as most ham i know they love free stuff and here is the free software i use. Once you know your stuff, youll want to look for a local club in your area for a testing session. Scientists and the military experimented with moonbounce in the 1950s. But for three days in april even hams with very modest stations will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of moonbounce, thanks to the giant radio telescope at the. Suggested configurations, approximate costs and operational. Moon bounce visible on the waterfall moonbounce equipment setup. I have pretty much at least tried almost everything ham radio has to offer, except moon bounce and that crazy stuff. The top 2 issues every ic7610 owner needs to check for. Written by admin 3 comments posted in amateur radio, applications, radio astronomy. Heres the wikipedia story of how the word ham came to refer to amateur radio heres a link to web site of the american radio relay league, a.
If you have already worked some kind of digital communications rtty, packet, psk31,etc you will possibly be able to use the same interface for the wsjt program, and you could skip this step. On the downloads page you can find a copy of the 2014 radcom article on eme. And running as much power out as you can will help tremendously too. The socalled moonbounce and eme earthmoonearth qsos represent the most challenging propagation mode in ham radio involving high sophisticated and optimized radio stations. You can get used copy for just a few bucks, we did and we like it. I am an amateur radio enthusiast, i have 2 callsigns, 2e1jjm and m3jjm you can look this up with the rsgb and with ofcom the uks governmental body for communications. August 2011, cccamp fiowfurtgermany moonbounce radio communication first successful attempt in 1946 by the u. In these pages you can read a very brief introduction to moonbounce, view some photos of my eme mast and aerials and see a list of my 2m eme contacts together with a few of the qsl cards which i have received. This handson talk so brings those osx or linux laptopsvms will demonstrate how to use cheap chinese radios in combination with audio modem software to create long distance communication networks. I was thinking that because there are two unused, working satellite dishes that have all appropriate wires. May 23, 20 eme moonbounce antenna for bouncing radio signals off the moon and back to earth up to 12,000 miles away. Articles of interest to radio amateurs around the world. A small, inexpensive moonbounce antenna system for 144 mhz.
I got everything hooked up and tested before the moon came up that night. Is moonbounce an esoteric mode beyond the reach of most amateurs. I dont do any of the digital modes and only use a pc for log keeping. Eme is the art of bouncing radio signals off the moon. One giant bounce for mankind almost 40 years after the historic apollo 11 mission, well hear voices from the moon again. The ic9700 is a new vhfuhf radio that is based upon the software defined radio sdr platform that icom uses in the ic7300 and ic7610. I still use an electronic keyer but my code is not computer generated as that in my opinion would be cheating. There are even more astronomical bodies playing an important role in vhf communication. Moonbounce eme propagation for ham radio electronics notes. To get started with your ham radio license process, youll likely want to find a class or book to dig into and then take your test. It is ultrahigh freq that is used to communicate with the moon landings and. Software ac6vs amateur radio and dx reference guide.
Do you have a directional antenna, a 2m ssb transceiver with 50 w output and a pc. Ft8 amateurham radio mode software support icq amateur. Army signal corps not too long thereafter replaced by artificial satellites first amtateur radio attempts in 1953 today mostly for amateur radio applications still challenging but really cool. Software archives the dxzone the dxzone amateur radio. Lance, wa1jxn, now w7gj was third from bridgewater vt now, from montana, he is the undisputed 6 meter eme king. Earth moon earth communication, also known as moon bounce, is a radio communications technique that relies on the propagation of radio waves from an earthbased transmitter directed via reflection from the surface of the moon back to an earthbased receiver. Radio amateurs first succeeded with eme communication in 1960.
Bouncing radio signals via the moon and back to earth is a real challenge. The extra theoretical seagain appears to be a reality under these conditions and allows my 9el yagi to garner another 6db on both. See more ideas about dipole antenna, ham radio antenna and ham radio. Moonbounce is generally speaking not done every day of the year.
Moonbounce information, audio files, toplist and activity schedules. From 1990 to 1994 the af9y 2 mtr eme station consisted of. Moonbounce weak signal and astrophotography by mike cook. The new amateurham radio digital mode, ft8 has attracted a lot of usages, including jt65 users.
Moonsked software macintosh, windows and linux moonbounce moon tracking and scheduling software lcd clock macintosh and windows utility showing time in utc or local icom pcr programming the control protocol revealed astronomy articles telescope building, comet. If your answer is yes then, believe it or not, you are capable of making a qso with ea6vq and other stations using the moon as a reflector. Hamradio 360 has a great list of study materials for you to start with. Most fun in ham radio is making rare, unusual, or difficult contacts. He will be giving a talk titled introducing moon bounce at 7. It provides different modes adapted to different modes of propagation and bands. Warren, k1bkk was vermonts second eme op circa 1975 with a 160 element collinear array running 1 kw from a pair of 4cx250bs in a k2riwdesign amplifier from his home in barre, vt. Ea6vq get ready for 2m moonbounce communications get ready for 2m moonbounce communications. My software is not the be all and end all but its what works for me. The rtlsdr can be used as a wide band radio scanner. So serious, in fact, that he recently replaced a large antenna afixed to the side of his house on sylvan drive with an even larger antenna.
Normally the js65 variant within the wsjt software suite is used and this provides some considerable advantages. First, new technologies are emerging, as a result, the equipment is being improved and that, in turn, requires software changes. Moonbounce for everyone courtesy of the arecibo radio. Many amateurs think of moonbounce systems in terms of high power, costly receiving preamps, and antennas big enough to fill football fields. I hope to just excite you to look to see what is out there. This website will provide you with moon calendars that provide detailed information about moon data and published activity events. Beginners guide to ham radio, make your own eagle blog. The wsjt screen has been designed for amateur radio moonbounce, eme and as and even provides moon direction information. My dad had his old crystal set with stromberg carlson headphones,the variable condensor and a baseboard. Apr 08, 20 best rock songs vietnam war music best rock music of all time 60s and 70s rock playlist duration. More than 40 years ago, my father took me to radio house in george street, sydney to buy an oa90 diode for as i remember it now 45 cents. In the spring of 20, there was a major turning point in my amateur radio journey after reading an article on the internet about moonbounce, also known as e arthm oone arth eme communication. With julys bestpositioned moonrises being too close to the sun which was also. It may interest ham radio enthusiasts, hardware hackers, tinkerers and anyone interested in rf.
On top of this point ive just made, the nail in the coffin supplied by ham radio, is that depending on the conditions, the quality of the antenna, and how the weather is doing round the world, it is actually possible on the very very long wavelength bands 160m and 80m for example, to bounce a signal off the f2 layer, and then to the earth. There is some fantastic software out there that can make you grow in your ham radio journey. Eme ham radio moon bounce radio links category is a curation of 42 web resources on, moonbounce operations, weak signal vhf by tim marek k7xc, eme in alaska. Nov 02, 2018 ham radio covers a lot of ground, but traditional ham radio is operating a station on the hf bands 3. New software for vhf meteorscatter communication qst december 2001, pp. Amateur radio fans drop the hammer on hrds license key. The following pages are dedicated to building bridges between the eme, seti and radio astronomy amateur interest groups. Among those featured in the video is the rsgb vhf manager john regnault g4swx.
The meeting will take place at the oaklands museum, moulsham street, cm2 9aq. During 1994 the array was torn down and rebuilt to allow polarity rotation. Amateur radio operators writes their own software and make available to the ham radio community usually for free. Secondly, the needs of users are growing, requirements are increasing and the needs are changing for radio shack pro 668 software. Welcome to ham radio house, the australian boatanchor shop. Curation of software for amateur radio applications. Ham radio covers a lot of ground, but traditional ham radio is operating a station on the hf bands 3. Paul bock, k4msg, has been licensed since 1957 and holds an extra class license.
James setzler is serious about his ham radio avocation. I was active on both the hf bands from 40m to 10m and on 144 and 1296 mhz eme moonbounce with many different antenna systems, some small and some large. Mar 14, 2017 tied up with other radio happenings, i missed getting on eme during the moons last two orbits of the planet. With qsls still arriving from previous 2m eme action, i was looking extra forward to late julys very short window. And a computer with an interface and the wsjt software, which you can download for free. Wsjt is an ideal and the most widely used format for ham radio eme moonbounce contacts. And chances are you will also need a very good receiving preamp. For software, were using joe taylors wsjt application and the ham radio deluxe satellite tracking software to keep our antenna pointed at the moon. Hearing your own echoes coming back from the moon for the first time is something that every moonbouncer will remember for the rest of their life. The purpose of this article is to provide radio amateurs with enough background information to understand the technical challenges involved in smallstation digital eme on the 144 and 432 mhz bands. The latter condition puts moonrises directly out in front of the house and looking across georgia straits many miles of saltwater. This video demonstrates how a poorly designed flatscreen tv and power supply can affect our wonderful ham radio hobby. It looks like this is going to be an excellent radio for satellite, eme, and other weaksignal work on the 2 m, 70 cm, and 23 cm bands. When last months activity was interrupted by my 140w brick amplifier catching fire, i was anxious to see if my repairs and homebrew rfc would still allow me to play on the moon.
Can you use a satellite dish for a ham radio antenna. Earthmoonearth communication eme, also known as moon bounce, is a radio communications technique that relies on the propagation of radio waves from an earthbased transmitter directed via reflection from the surface of the moon back to an earthbased receiver. Eme moonbounce antenna for bouncing radio signals off the. The bc vhf plus page, dedicated to the enjoyment and exploration of propagation on amateur radio frequencies above 50 mhz.
In the past i have been an active radio amateur callsign oz9aar. I was able to get back at it last week, with three days of unobstructed ocean moonrises as the moon travelled through its northern declinat. Even some software house write and support ham radio programs, but the main part o ham radio software now available is produced directly by hams for hams. If you have never connected your pc to the transceiver then you will need some kind of interface to connect them. Few amateur radio pursuits can match the challenge and to many amateurs. From that point on, i remained active on hf for the most part of my amateur radio career. You have landed on the site of amateur radio station gm4jjj, the home of. Paul is a lm of arrl and also a member of the a1 operator club, qcwa, cw operators club and several other ham radio organizations.
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