NASA’s been recruiting citizen scientists lately, and their latest call is looking for help from ham radio operators. They want you to make and report radio contacts during the 2023 and 2024 North American eclipses. From their website:
Communication is possible due to interactions between our Sun and the ionosphere, the ionized region of the Earth’s atmosphere located roughly 80 to 1000 km overhead. The upcoming eclipses (October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024) provide unique opportunities to study these interactions. As you and other HamSCI members transmit, receive, and record signals across the radio spectrum during the eclipse, you will create valuable data to test computer models of the ionosphere.
The upcoming eclipses are in October of this year and in April 2024, so you have some time to get your station in order. According to NASA, “It will be a fun, friendly event with a competitive element.” So if you like science, space, or contesting, it sounds like you’ll be interested. Right now, the big event is the Solar Eclipse QSO Party. There will also be a signal spotting challenge and some measurements of WWV, CHU, AM broadcast stations, and measurements of the ionosphere height. There will also be some sort of very low-frequency event. Details on many of these events are still pending.
Hams, of course, have a long history of experimenting with space. They routinely bounce signals off the moon. They also let radio signals bounce off the trails of ionized gas behind meteors using special computer programs.
KN4ZDQ how do you sign up ?
You have to click a few of the links but the qso party pre register is here
https://hamsci.org/contest-info
https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/
We are setting up stations here in Southern Indiana. W1TOD and will be available.
Count me in KO4KLN
Let me know also.
Nice artwork!
I can’t be the only one that’s looking at it and thinking “That’s no moon”
Is this just US Hams or any country?
Same question from France
Yes, any country, according to the rules.
The right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. At the same time NASA is asking amateur radio for help JPL has been forced by the federal government to take down the Deep Space Now Eyes website that displaysd frequncies of active deep space communications currently happening.
Obviously Red science deniers.
I’m a conservative, and that statement does not apply to me. Does it always have to be political?
Seriously, you just showed that you have no place in science. You already closed your mind.
Yup, we foot the bill for the research but only get 20% of the results, if even that much.
It says pre-registration is not till July.
KO4KLN Count me in
Sounds very interesting
KK6KZE. Is 2m ok?
KK6KZE. Is 2m ok?
Read all again…
YU1U
Is that international project?
Wonder how they are going to weaponize the information for💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰?
N1MAA
Count me among the multitude…
KD1DT
Count me in KK4ZVP
Congratulations for All Hams enthusiasts, if only assume to be an international project world wide, them i would be glad to participate by collecting data tally signals from both solar eclipse and bounce signal off the moon within these selected regions( the ionosphere and the Ionosonde regions respectively).
WA0JRE is ready and willing on 2 M band keep in touch
Thank you for getting back to me. I have no reason to explain why I was denied access to this group. I have never had any communication with this group prior. I would be more than willing to set up a schedule with you or by cellular phone. Wb2lsu
Hi Bruce,
I’m sorry about that. You may have e left the joining reason blank or I may have hit the wrong button. Please try joining HamSCI again. If it doesn’t let you, email Hamsci@hamsci.org and I’ll add you manually.
73 Nathaniel W2NAF
WO5LFY Im in
Radio Jove will be there as well
so will AAVSO an SARA
This looks like a lot of fun. Great STEM project too. — AB2ZI
Count on me
EA5NA
Tnx
S21VA
I’m ready !!! KØTNG
Cuenten conmigo hk8rkf
I have been an amateur for 30 years and have lots of experience my call is G0WZG
73
KD9ILC I’m listening..
N1OAH From Northern New England.
This isn’t a net checkin.
This gives me time to get my antenna back up. This sounds like it will be a great time.
KD6VKJ
NASA has a various space satellites at her disposal to make various signal measurements. During eclipse sun radiation is blocked by the Moon not interacting with Earth atmosphere. Great deep science at work.
Former S56JSN.
W3XO, in Kerrville, TX along with Schreiner University, and other independent hams are monitoring the bands during the eclipses. Kerrville is at the center of the X, for both eclipse events. We have submitted the October data to Ham-sci, and are writing an article for QST publication. We are also part of the local EmComm system and will be manning RFD stations, as back up communications, as well as the EOC. We can be found on FB under HCARC (all caps).