The concept is to develop a distributed, GPS-disciplined forward-scatter radar network for meteor trajectory reconstruction and radio meteor astronomy. The basic idea would be to obtain a license for a low-power CW beacon operating around 50 MHz and install it at a suitable location in the continental United States, ideally at a university or research institution. A distributed network of volunteer-operated, GPS-synchronized SDR receivers would detect reflections from meteor trails. By combining observations from multiple receiving sites using interferometric and time-difference-of-arrival techniques, it should be possible to estimate meteor trajectories, velocities, altitudes, and radiants.
Such a network could complement existing optical meteor observations by providing continuous radio coverage, including daytime observations and the detection of weak or otherwise optically unobservable meteor showers. In the longer term, it might also contribute to identifying previously unknown or extinct meteor streams associated with dormant comets.
The overall concept is not entirely new. Similar principles are employed by the BRAMS network in Belgium, which uses forward scatter, and by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), which uses a backscatter configuration. However, we believe there is an opportunity to develop a coordinated citizen-science network in North America, with an emphasis on calibrated instrumentation, open data, and radio astronomy applications. Another attractive aspect is that the required funding appears relatively modest. Most receiving stations could be volunteer-operated using existing
SDR equipment, while the primary infrastructure would consist of the beacon, supporting software, and a centralized data-processing system. This could make the project well suited for collaboration among HamSCI, SARA, universities, and other interested organizations.
- Chip N2YO