Mar 13, 1989 Auroral Effects on VHF


The solar flare(s) and coronal mass ejection(s) responsible for this historic magnetic storm
had occurred a few days prior (Mar 9) from this massive sunspot group



and produced many other geophysical effects.



Totally unrelated, a huge session of tropospheric ducting across the Gulf of Mexico was also in
progress during much of Mar 12-13 - extending as far as the Miami area (1150 + miles).         

part of an AP radio news story on WQST, 92.5, Forest, MS

Upper h.f. was essentially dead all day, though a strong EA7 made a brief appearance on 28 MHz.
6-m aurora and auroral Es suddenly commenced here c. 22z Mar 13.                               
Pulsating Es was evident on the TV, and the FM broadcast band had auroral hiss on all of the   
non-local channels.  Due to the poor odds of making any idents there that was paid little      
attention.                                                                                     

My modest 2-m equipment, c. 80-w out of a Swan TV-2C transverter driven by a Swan 500 on 14-MHz
into an 11-element Cushcraft 20' AGL, heard more than I could work.  (I had worked WØPW on 2-m 
aurora in Jul 1982 so I knew that it was capable of au QSOs.)  Since I had already worked all  
of 5-land on tropo I tried to concentrate on other call areas, but ended up with a majority of 
Oklahoma contacts.                                                                             

144-MHz aurora RealAudio samples
W2CRS/Ø DM78  more of same (had a later QSO with Doug)
W5UGO EM16
KBØHH EM06
K5JL EM15 (eventual QSO)
N4AR EM77 (Kentucky, for a new state - and my only QSO so far with it)

Two excerpts from our local WXK67 162.55-MHz NOAA weather station about it that evening.
I     II

Due to local light pollution to the north, nothing was seen here - though 2-m auroral effects
were still evident from Oklahoma as late at 0130 Z, well after our sunset.                   

Page Created: Feb 9, 2010
modified: Nov 25, 2014