CHU – Bon Voyage!

In a recent article from the SWListening Post, I learned that the long time short wave station CHU is going silent key this June 2026 (Ref.1/2). I can remember tuning in to this station many times over the years, initially on my HQ100AC in the early 1960s. Several years ago I examined propagation from CHU… Continue reading CHU – Bon Voyage!

Meteor Scatter MSK144 Channel on GNURadio

Introduction In the previous post I was able to receive MSK144 meteor scatter transmissions on 6m using the RTL-SDR (Ref.1). I thought it would be worthwhile to see how robust this protocol is using a simple GNURadio channel model. In the QEX design paper the following performance figures are given (Ref.2):SNR>0dB, almost all frames decoded… Continue reading Meteor Scatter MSK144 Channel on GNURadio

RTL-SDR for Meteor Scatter

Introduction I first learned of Meteor Scatter communications during the late 1980s in connection with sending meteorological data from remote locations. The principle made a lot of sense, using natural occurring phenomena to aid in transmission of signals with simple and minimum equipment. Weather sensor data could be collected and sent back using a solar… Continue reading RTL-SDR for Meteor Scatter

RTL-SDR for Satellite Weather – Meteor M2-3

Introduction Last October 2025 I was able to Receive Satellite Weather from Meteor M2-3 down at Toronto Harbourfront using a Vee dipole. This spring I thought I would try the same thing but using a 2m/70cm Yagi antenna instead (Ref.1). Equipment Setup Figure 1 shows the equipment setup. I initially tested the Yagi earlier this… Continue reading RTL-SDR for Satellite Weather – Meteor M2-3