Meteor Scatter Planner
Every day millions of tiny meteors burn up about 60 miles overhead, and each one leaves a short-lived trail of ionized gas that reflects VHF radio signals. Hams use those trails to make contacts out to about 1,400 miles on 6 meters and 2 meters, in bursts lasting a fraction of a second to a few seconds, using the MSK144 digital mode in WSJT-X. This planner shows which meteor shower is coming, where its radiant is in the South Jersey sky right now, the best hours to operate and which way to point your beam.
Meteor Shower Calendar
Where to Operate
| Band | Mode | Calling frequency (North America) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 meters | MSK144 | 50.260 MHz |
| 2 meters | MSK144 | 144.150 MHz |
Use 15-second sequences in WSJT-X. Agree on who transmits first: by tradition the station farther east or north often transmits in the first sequence, but always confirm in your sked. A horizontal Yagi and 100 watts or more works best, but on 6 m during a big shower even a simple dipole and 50 watts can make contacts.
How it works: the score combines the shower’s strength (ZHR, how many meteors per hour at its peak), how high its radiant is above the horizon from Absecon right now, and the background of random “sporadic” meteors, which peak around dawn every single day. Best contacts usually happen with stations 500 to 1,400 miles away, aimed at a right angle to the direction of the radiant. Dates are the usual peak days; a shower can be a day early or late. Radio meteor scatter does not care about clouds or moonlight, and some of the best radio showers, like the Daytime Arietids in June, happen in daylight when you cannot see them at all.