TY - Generic T1 - Possible Drivers of Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances by Analysis of Aggregated Ham Radio Contacts T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2024 Y1 - 2024 A1 - Diego Sanchez A1 - Mary Lou West A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell A1 - Gareth W. Perry A1 - William D. Engelke A1 - Robert B. Gerzoff A1 - Philip J. Erickson A1 - J. Michael Ruohoniemi A1 - Joseph B. H. Baker A1 - V. Lynn Harvey AB -

Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (LSTIDs) are quasiperiodic electron density perturbations of the F region ionosphere that have periods of 30 min to over 180 min, wavelengths of over 1000 km, and velocities of 150 to 1000 m/s. These are seen as long slow oscillations in the bottom side of the ionosphere in data from ham radio contacts at 20 meters wavelength on roughly a third of the days in a year. They might be triggered by electromagnetic forces from above, and/or by mechanical pressures from below. The explosion of the Tonga volcano on January 15, 2022 revealed that such a LSTID could be triggered by a violent updraft from the Earth’s surface into the stratosphere and then detected in the ionosphere over the United States nine hours later. We consider other possible drivers such as the auroral electrojet, the polar vortex, thunderstorms, zonal wind speeds, gravity wave variances, and their time derivatives in 2017.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2024 PB - HamSCI CY - Cleveland, OH ER - TY - Generic T1 - PyLAP/PHaRLAP HF Ray Tracing and SAMI3: Integration and Refactoring T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2024 Y1 - 2024 A1 - Devin Diehl A1 - Rachel Boedicker A1 - Joseph Huba A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell AB -

PyLAP is a high frequency (HF) ray tracing toolkit that is used to model radio wave propagation through the ionosphere. Currently PyLAP uses the empirical International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model. In an effort to use PyLAP to observe more discrete structures in ionosphere that are otherwise unobservable with IRI, PyLAP is being Integrated with the Physics-based SAMI3 Model of the ionosphere. Along with this there will be an effort to refactor some of the current PyLAP codebase so that it is more readable and usable for anyone using the current system including both professional and citizen scientists.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2024 PB - HamSCI CY - Cleveland, OH ER - TY - Generic T1 - PyLap: An Open Source Python Interface to the PHaRLAP Ionospheric Raytracing Toolkit T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2023 Y1 - 2023 A1 - Devin Diehl A1 - Gerard Piccini A1 - Alexander Calderon A1 - Joshua Vega A1 - William Liles A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell AB -

PyLap is a Python interface to the ionospheric ray tracing toolkit PHaRLAP. The software allows users to generate accurate models of the ionosphere and ray tracing to make plots of radio propagation through the ionosphere. Not only does this software look, feel, and operate very similarly to how the MATLAB interface is currently used, it is also completely free alternative to the current MATLAB interface.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2023 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA ER - TY - Generic T1 - Porting the MUSIC Algorithm to the SuperDARN pyDARN Library for the Study of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2022 Y1 - 2022 A1 - Francis Tholley A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell A1 - William Liles AB -

Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs) are quasi-periodic variations of the F-region ionosphere with periods of 15 to 60 minutes and horizontal wavelengths of a few hundred kilometers that are often associated with atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs). Understanding differences in characteristics such as wavelength, period, and propagation direction between MSTIDs populations in the northern and southern hemisphere can lead to a better understanding of MSTID sources and upper atmospheric dynamics. Previous studies have used SuperDARN radars to observe MSTIDs and determine these characteristics using an implementation of the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm. In this presentation, we port the MUSIC implementation written in Python 2 for use with the deprecated SuperDARN Data and Visualization Toolkit python (DaViTpy) to Python 3 for use with the current pyDARN library. This implementation will be used to study the differences between MSTID populations observed by SuperDARN radars in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2022 PB - HamSCI CY - Huntsville, AL ER - TY - Generic T1 - Potential Science Opportunities for HamSCI in Antarctica T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2022 Y1 - 2022 A1 - Gareth W. Perry A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell AB -

The maturation and proliferation of passive radio receivers based on software defined radio principles and architecture herald a new era of radio remote sensing in solar-terrestrial physics. Antarctica is a region of interest for deploying HF radio receivers for many reasons. The significant offset of the geographic and magnetic poles allows one to study multiple terrestrial magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere regions of interest, e.g., the polar, auroral, and sub-auroral zones, using ground-based instruments. Additionally, the significant snow and ice coverage in Antarctica is a strong absorber of HF radio waves. This severely mitigates intracontinental multi-hop propagation modes, which may be advantageous for geolocating geophysical features detected by HF radio techniques, thereby improving remote sensing performance. In this poster presentation, we will analyze a case of a QSO between two operators, captured by a receiver located at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. We will discuss the signal characteristics of each transmission and pay particularly close attention to how variations in the CW transmissions may be linked to geophysical processes occurring in the region at the time. The overarching goal of this presentation is to incite discussion on how existing and future passive HF receiving systems in Antarctica can leveraged to advance not only the art of radio but solar-terrestrial physics in Antarctica.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2022 PB - HamSCI CY - Huntsville, AL ER - TY - Generic T1 - Preliminary Data Analysis of PSWS Magnetometer Data T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2021 Y1 - 2021 A1 - Hyomin Kim A1 - Julius Madey A1 - David M. Witten II A1 - David Larsen A1 - Scott H. Cowling A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell A1 - James Weygand AB -

We report on the preliminary analysis of data obtained from newly developed magnetometers as part of HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project. These systems are designed to provide quantitative and qualitative measurements of the geospace environment from the ground for both scientific and operational purposes at a cost that will allow for crowd-sourced data contributions. The PSWS magnetometers employ low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf, magneto-inductive sensor technology to record three-axis magnetic field variations with an adequate field resolution of ~10 nT at a 1 Hz sample rate. Data from the PSWS network will combine these magnetometer measurements with high frequency (HF, 3-30 MHz) radio observations to monitor large-scale current systems and ionospheric disturbances due to drivers from both space and the atmosphere. A densely-spaced magnetometer array, once established, will demonstrate their space weather monitoring capability in unprecedented spatial extent. Magnetic field data obtained by the magnetometers installed at three locations across the US are presented and compared with the existing magnetometers nearby. 

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2021 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA (Virtual) ER - TY - Generic T1 - PSWS Ground Magnetometer Hardware T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2021 Y1 - 2021 A1 - Julius Madey A1 - David Witten, II A1 - Hyomin Kim A1 - David Larsen A1 - Scott H. Cowling A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell AB -

The path from candidate device for the magnetometer function of the PSWS to practical affordable working 24/7 data collection installations based on the low cost and readily available PNI RM3100 magneto-inductive sensor is discussed.  Initial support board design using i2c bus connection to the host Odroid or Raspberry Pi class microprocessors with support for remote extension of the sensor to at least 100 feet with common CAT5 networking cable will be described as well as the accompanying test and logging software.  Details of initial testing which revealed the need for temperature stabilization of the RM3100, verified remote operation to at least 500 feet, the subsequent design of an in-ground sensor housing made from common PVC water pipe and fittings and refinement of the microprocessor adapter board and remote board will be presented.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2021 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA (Virtual) ER - TY - CONF T1 - PSWS Science Requirements Panel Discussion (Panel) T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2019 Y1 - 2019 A1 - John Ackermann A1 - Scotty Cowling A1 - Philip J. Erickson A1 - Nathaniel A. Frissell A1 - Hyomin Kim A1 - William Liles A1 - Thomas McDermott A1 - Ward Silver AB -

Moderator: Ward Silver, N0AX

  1. Phil Erickson, W1PJE, MIT Haystack Observatory, Radio, Ionospheric, & Magnetospheric Science
  2. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, NJIT, Radio, Ionospheric, & Magnetospheric Science
  3. Hyomin Kim, KD2MCR, NJIT, Magnetospheric Physics
  4. Bill Liles, NQ6Z, VLF Science
  5. John Ackermann, N8UR, TAPR, Radio Engineering
  6. Scotty Cowling, WA2DFI, TAPR, Radio Engineering
  7. Tom McDermott, N5EG, TAPR, Radio Engineering
JF - HamSCI Workshop 2019 PB - HamSCI CY - Cleveland, OH ER -