Published June 14, 2020 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Solar Eclipse 2017 recordings of medium-wave AM broadcast band from State College, PA, U.S.A.

Description

recorded by Brett Saylor, W3SWL

location recorded:    40° 47' 36" N,    77° 51'37" W

These data files are recordings of the entire medium wave broadcast band (535-1705kHz) from  18:08:17UTC to 19:28:16UTC (at this location, the eclipse lasted from: 1714 UTC (start) - 1838 UTC (maximum) - 1956 UTC (end). )    Data files are .wav format, but the archived files are .zip, with one or two .wav files packaged together in each .zip file.

Antenna:  Corner-fed broadband unidirectional loop antenna, 36' long x 16' tall, using Wellbrook FLG-100 amplifier  (https://www.wellbrook.uk.com/loopantennas/Components), and 1000 ohm termination , aimed at 180 degrees

Receiver:  Microtelecom Perseus SDR (http://microtelecom.it/perseus/) with no front end attenuation, center frequency set at 1000kHz, recording 1600kHz wide passband, using Perseus software.

 

Notes

On the AM broadcast band (535-1705kHz), there are roughly two modes of broadcast station signal coverage, one of which occurs in the daytime, and the other at night. During the day time, signals are propagated by ground wave and and not usually heard well beyond 150km from the transmitter. However, at night, an absorptive region in the ionosphere, the D-layer, disappears, allowing signals to refract off higher regions of the ionosphere, and to be heard hundreds and even thousands, of kilometers away from the transmitter. During the solar eclipse of 21 August 2017, signals were observed changing from daytime to nighttime mode and then back again as the moon's shadow moved across the continental USA. The radio stations in this band use amplitude modulation, which requires a strong stable carrier wave, well suited for observing changes in signal strength over a time period. Included in these files is one provided by Microtelecom ("Perseusv5demo.exe") for playback of the .wav files, plus a help file, "PerseusV5QuickTuningGuide.pdf". As well, there is a reference file to assist in identifying signals ("canusa-Jan2019.pdf"). Finally, there is set of instructions for using the software, including instructions for using "Perseusv5demo.exe" to extract a time series of signal power for an individual radio station's signal ("Using Perseusv5demo to create signal strength time series-W3SWL.pdf"). Finally, referencing the article archived at http://hamsci.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019_am-eclipse2017_hall-patch.pdf , will give the user of these files an idea of how radio reception datasets from different locations can be used to compare the effects that the solar eclipse had on radio propagation.

Files

canusa-Jan2019.pdf

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