Category: DSES posts
Science Update 9-14-16
The multi-band feed provides new capability for the Deep Space Exploration Society. This system provides both radio astronomy and radio communications capability.
Science Update 9-3-16
Radio Jove and SuperSID Data and Analysis Reports
Attached are the August reports for the Radio Jove, located at Plishner, and the SuperSID, which is located at my house.
1) The Radio Jove observing season is closing down with only an hour of observing time a day after sunset. We did get a couple of probable hits.
2) SuperSID did detect an M1.3 flare on 8 August. I also conducted a comparison of the Radio Jove results and the SuperSID results. I found no significant correlation between the two telescopes. The lightning storms this month also affected both telescopes by adding a lot of spurious signals.
I have been in contact with the Radio Jove NASA coordinator. He likes what we are doing and has provided information to improve our Radio Jove system.
DSES SuperSID Results August 2016
DSES Plishner Radio Jove Results August 2016
Dr. Rich Russel
DSES VP and Science Coordinator
drrichrussel(at)netscape.net
DSES Perseid Meteor Shower Open House
Deep Space Exploration Society
Perseid Meteor Shower Expedition 2016
DSES conducted its first open house on Friday, August 12, in conjunction with the Perseid Meteor Shower. We had 11 DSES members and over 20 guests spend the evening looking at Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the Moon through telescopes while watching for meteors at the Plishner Radio Astronomy and Space Science Center in Haswell, CO.
We had five optical telescopes on site for viewing of the skies as well as lectures from 2 Pikes Peak Community College astronomy instructors who provided instruction on the use of the various telescopes present.
We had a few glitches such as the mice eating the wiring in the generator controller which shut down the main source of power for the site. However, thanks to some quick calls, Dave and Bill were able to get a generator shipped down to the site. This generator powered the site for the next two days while Ed worked out how to fix the primary generator regulator.
Special recognition for Don and Adam who traveled 4 hours to attend the event. They also spent many hours clearing the bunker ramp of tumbleweeds.
We had four or five optical telescopes set up for everyone’s viewing pleasure and some of the local community came out for an impromptu start party. Everyone had an educational and great social time together.
Kevin Ahrens and several other photographers came down and shot some amazing photos and time-laps videos of the storms rolling in.
Gary Agranat organized and manned a special events Ham station and collected 86 contacts on several different bands during the event. This was the first major use of the DSES new Club Station call sign, k0prt (prt stands for Plishner Radio Telescope). New QSL card were made by Kammie Russel, the daughter of a DSES member.
Much progress was made in outfitting the dish and getting control set up.
Many members stayed overnight at Diane’s Park which is under the 60 foot dish.
Ray and Floyd prepared a 6 meter antenna for the meteor detection radio telescope. The communications van was outfitted with extra antennas for 6 meter ham radio plus UHF and VHF amateur satellite communications. The van also has a 6 meter to 180 meter dipole for HF communications.
Bob counted sunspots and solar prominences using the solar telescope lent to DSES for this event by Pikes Peak Community College. A star party with multiple optical telescopes was a big hit while watching for meteors.
Myron set up an AMSAT communications system in the communications van.
The neutral hydrogen experiment was installed using the SpectraCyber system. The dish was moved to accommodate the new advanced feed built by Ray. The feed will be permanently mounted on the dish in the next couple of week. This will allow for UHF, VHF, 1296 MHz Earth-Moon-Earth (moon-bounce) and 1420 MHz neutral Hydrogen radio astronomy.
The next expedition will involve using the new antenna feed system for the ARRL Moon Bounce contest in the October time frame as well as the first use of the primary dish for the neutral hydrogen radio astronomy experiments.
Plishner Open House Weekend August 21, 2016
I set up our eQSL account and created an eQSL card for us. I then uploaded our log file from our weekend QSOs. I attached an example of our eQSL that goes out to our contacts. (In this case it is to Myron, who gave me a call from his radio.) We had 86 QSOs. 9 eQSLs from the weekend were already waiting for us in the eQSL inbox.
I will attempt to set up an ARRL Logbook of the World account for us this week. And when I have a chance I will provide an update to Steve for the QRZ page, now that our weekend activity completed.
Also when I get a chance, I’ll email my photos from the weekend to Bill.
73, Gary
DSES Open House 8/12 & 13
DSES will conduct its first open house this weekend, Friday, August 12 and Saturday August 13, starting at 5 PM on Friday. The Perseids Meteor Shower event should be at its peak this weekend (after midnight) with an estimated 200 to 300 meteor’s per hour.
We should have several optical telescopes on site for viewing of the skies. We will have radio equipment on site for all our working science projects. A ham radio station using the new DSES club call sign K0PRT (Plishner Radio Telescope), will be on the air on several High Frequency radio bands. We also hope to have an amateur radio Oscar satellite station working as well. Our big project for this weekend will focus on installing the new tri-band dish feed. If all goes well with this installation we hope to bounce a 1.2 Ghz radio signal off the moon and be able to hear our echo 3 seconds later.
For those who may want to spend the night, please bring your own sleeping needs. We should have floor space in the bunker for your cot/bed. WE DO NOT recommend sleeping on the floor in the bunker at this time. We have lots of parking space for RV’s, trailers, or trucks/cars. We will start grilling hot dogs around 6PM Friday. Be prepared for hot temps during the day and thunderstorms, rain, wind and maybe hail during late afternoon or evening. Mud boots may be nice to have if it rains.
The Plishner site is located at 9301 County Road 20, Haswell, CO or 4.8 miles south of the town of Haswell, CO.
Call me if you need directions or further information on this weekend’s events. Hope to see you there!!
Myron Babcock
Pilsner 8/12-13/2016 Weekend Science Trip Projections
Data for the moon:
date: 12 Aug Rises: 15:32 Sets: 01:16 (13 Aug)
date: 13 Aug Rises: 16:25 Sets: 02:01 (14 Aug)
=============================================
Data for radio sources:
Data for Sgr-A (RA: 17h 47m DEC: -28d 42m):
12 Aug 21:17 ALT: 21.9deg AZ: 180deg(meridian)
Rises: 17:04 Sets: 01:14 (13 Aug)
13 Aug 21:21 ALT: 21.9deg AZ: 180deg
Rises: 17:08 Sets: 01:18 (14 Aug)
Data for Cyg-A (RA: 19h 59.5m DEC: 40d 44m):
12 Aug 23:30 ALT: 88.3deg AZ: 360deg(due north)
Rises: 14:41 Sets: 08:00 (13 Aug)
13 Aug 23:34 ALT: 88.3deg AZ: 360deg
Rises: 14:45 Sets: 08:04 (14 Aug)
Data for Cas-A (RA: 23h 23.4m DEC: 58d 49m):
12 Aug 02:50 ALT: 69.9deg AZ: 360deg(due north)
13 Aug 02:54 ALT: 69.9deg AZ: 360deg
NOTE: Cas-A is circumpolar and never drops below the local horizon.
Data for Tau-A (RA: 05h 34.5m DEC: 22d 01m):
12 Aug 09:00 ALT: 73.0deg AZ: 180deg(meridian)
Rises: 02:01 Sets: 16:01
13 Aug 09:04 ALT: 73.0deg AZ: 180deg
Rises: 02:05 Sets: 16:05
Data for Vir-A (RA: 12h 30.8m DEC: 12d 23m):
12 Aug 15:54 ALT: 63.4deg AZ: 180deg(meridian)
Rises: 09:26 Sets: 22:21
13 Aug 15:58 ALT: 63.4deg AZ: 180deg
Rises: 09:29 Sets: 22:25
Provided by WD0CUJ
Science Update 8-1-16
Plishner Radio SuperSID Results – July 2016
- Here is my analysis of the SuperSID Data: DSES SuperSID Results July 2016
- There were a number of C1+ flares last month.
- There was an M1.9 flare on July 24.
- The system is barely detecting C flares and rarely detects B flares.
- I plan on taking to Plishner – this should increase sensitivity.
Plishner Radio Jove Results – July 2016
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- Here is my analysis of the Radio Jove data for July 2016 from the Plishner site: DSES Plishner Radio Jove Results July 2016
- There was a significant improvement in detection results this month. This corresponds to the new antenna cabling.
Rich
Dr. Rich Russel
drrichrussel@netscape.net
DSES Participation in the Annual Eads Bash
DSES will have two or three tables at the 10th annual Maine Street Bash on Maine Street in Eads, Colorado on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Please come join us. This will be our 7th time as a part of this fundraiser that benefits the Crow-Luther Cultural Events Center, which is this event’s organizer. The Crow-Luther Cultural Events Center is a dynamic non-profit that that has saved the historical Plains Theater in Eads. They are giving DSES the foyer of the theater for the duration of the Bash, along with use of the stage and their big screen projector for up to 1 ½ hours of presentations between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30.
Festivities run from 5:00 p.m. until midnight. The vendor fee is waived for DSES and entrance to the theater is free for DSES members. Our display area is in air conditioned space in the theater’s foyer, where we will display our photos, drone videos, and various Power Point based presentations.
Summertime in Eads means the Maine Street Bash, a street festival on Maine Street in front of the Plains Theater. This festival gets bigger every year. It includes live music, both local and professional, a beer garden, a movie festival, the Kidz Zone, a Food Court, vendors, a horseshoe tournament, and a street dance that starts when the sun goes down!
We can gain access to the Bash as early as 4 p.m. and you can stay as till late as you want. We will pay individually for our entry tickets, cost is $10 each.
PLEASE, will some members come over to Eads for the Bash? You don’t have to worry about a big clean up — maybe a dry shirt if it is typically hot. Lots of good food on sale on the street – rock and roll band on a 40″ flat bed – Good old small town, fun street fair. Some of our friends there are going to bring some County Commissioners and, hopefully, a couple of the Power COOP board members by to say hi. Now that we have made such tremendous progress out at the site, and with all the work on the science program, it could really help us to show off some of that hard work and the people behind it all, to these officials.
I will go to the dish Saturday morning for a while, and John Doran is flying Wayne Green and our presenter down from Denver to Eads around 1 pm. We will get the display set up before the event opens. They will start our presentation at 5 p.m. and will fly out around 8:30 p.m., assuming the weather fits. I am planning to stay at Dolores Eickenbergs guest house and spend at least most of Sunday at the site. If bad weather comes in, they will stay there and I will get them to the airport in Eads in the morning.
Thanks and see you Saturday, the 30th. Please call or text me if you can come for at least part of the show.
Michael
Upcoming Plishner Weekend trips 7/30 ~ 8/13 2016
The next trip to the Plishner site will be this Saturday, July 30, 2016. Folks wishing to join in this trip should be at the Ellicott Fire Station by 8AM. Ed Corn, Steve Plock, Rich Russel, Gary Agranat, Bill Miller and Myron Babcock are planning on making this trip. If you are going and want to add your name to the list, please email me.
The annual Kiowa County, Eads, Colorado Main Street Bash is this Saturday, July 30, 2016 from 5PM to Midnight. DSES is listed once again as one of the vendors that will be present. Michael Lowe will have a display table with lots of DSES information. Michael Lowe would like to have other DSES members join him. Call Michael, at 719-337-2112 if you can make the trip.
During the weekend of the August Perseid meteor showers, August 12 & 13, 2016, DSES will be having an open house for the purpose of educating DSES members and non-members in our current ongoing science projects. We also hope to bounce a 1296 Mhz signal off the moon and hear our echo. If all goes well with that we hope to make a few contacts with other amateur radio stations around the country or world. A few members will be going to the site on Thursday, August 11 and staying through Sunday, August 14. We also hope to have several optical telescopes available for all to use during the dark evening skies. More details to follow.
Myron Babcock