Leonids Meteor Shower coming up soon!

Leonids meteor shower is expected to peak around November 16-17, in 2025. Leonids meteor shower is supposed to be the fastest meteor shower and radio amateurs are preparing for Meteor Scatter contacts. Meteor Scatter is a special mode of propagation in which the ionization of atmosphere produced by the meteor trail refracts 10m, 6m, 2m and sometimes UHF signals so that long distance communication is possible without repeaters. MSK144 Protocol is a special mode available in WSJT-X for meteor scatter communication. MSK144 is a Minimum Shift Keying Frequency-Shift Keying which transmits 144 bit long packets at a baud rate of 2000 bps using frequencies 1000 and 2000 Hz. WSJT stands for Weak Signal communication by K1JT, a computer program for amateur radio communication released in 2001. WSJT-X is an extended version with contribution from others. We can see the reports in this novel mode of ham radio communication on PSK Reporter by selecting the relevant band and MSK144 mode.

For those interested in watching the Leonids meteor shower, start watching after midnight in a clear sky. This year, as the peak is occurring several days after full Moon, only a slim crescent of the Moon will be there. Hence view of the meteor shower will be better, in the Eastern sky, provided there are not too many clouds out there. Here our second rainy season of the year is waning and I hope that in two weeks time, we might get a clear sky to see the Leonids meteor shower.