2015 Western Conference Abstracts as of 02/26/2015

 Author:  Tom Hagen

Title: Portable VLF Receiver for Making Calibrated Magnetic Field Strength Measurements

 

Abstract: This presentation is about the author's continuing efforts to get calibrated measurements of the field strengths of the various VLF stations used by the SuperSID program as reference sources to detect sudden ionospheric disturbances (SID’s). Presently, the amplitude of data coming in from the various SuperSID stations around the world is uncalibrated. When a SID is detected, there is a measurable change in relative signal strength, but actual field strengths are unknown. If a portable VLF receiver and loop antenna setup could be developed that is calibrated, then such a setup could be shipped to different sites for calibrated field strength measurements.  Users could even build their own receiver and loop antenna from standard plans. A small loop design and two receiver designs are discussed.  Estimated sensitivities of each receiver design are calculated. Calculations are verified with laboratory tests.

New Website Sections Introduced; Further Enhancements to Come

The latest addition to the SARA website is a new tab on the header bar called SARA Sections, in addition to the tabs already there for: Home; Education; Administrative Info; Forum; Projects; Links; Photo Gallery; The SARA Store; and RASDR. The tab for the SARA Sections will bring the visitor to an Introduction page, under which will be 6 SARA Sections. The purpose of these sections is to create a more intuitive website experience when visitors view the SARA webpage. This will help enhance the website with a similar feature seen with other national astronomy organizations like that of AAVSO and ALPO.

Call for Papers- 2015 SARA Annual Summer Conference

Green Bank, WV National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), USA

The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) solicits papers for presentation at its 2015 Annual Conference to be held 21 June - 24 June 2015.

2015 Annual Conference Keynote Speaker Announced

Vice President Tom Hagen announced today that Duncan Lorimer from West Virginia University Department of Physics and Astronomy has agreed to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2015 Annual SARA Conference to be held June 21 to 24 at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV.  The following excerpt is from WVU website:

 

SARA 2014, Best Ever Conference By Stephen Tzikas

Highest ever attendance levels and two Nobel laureate speakers helped make SARA 2014 the best ever gathering of amateur and professional radio astronomers. On June 29, 2014 the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) gathered at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) for its annual conference. Counting the Radio Jove part of the week, it was also the longest gathering. As one young enthusiast noted, “SARA is hot.”

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