[NLRS] Tropo Maps

[Ford Peterson]

Some time ago, I embraced a new project to document weather implications on radio communications.  I'm working on it with several parties.  But the short list includes Bob Brown-NM7M (propagation guru), Carl Luetzelschwab-K9LA (propagation author for World Radio mag), and others.  The focus is on identifying Mesospheric, Tropospheric, and Ionospheric implications of weather on 160M propagation. 

I'm using the Radiosonde data available from the NOAA.  A radiosonde is basically a weather balloon.  They launch them at ground level and take readings of weather as it rises into the 40km heights (that's 131,000 ft).  The NOAA sponsors soundings all over the world.  I have access to all the data from soundings taken each day, all over the world, at 00:00Z and 12:00Z.  The data set includes each balloon's complete record of data.  Needless to say, it is awash with details.  Literally tens of thousands of records twice a day.

The data set includes such information as height of the balloon, temps, dewpoint, air pressure, wind speed, direction of wind--all at different heights from different locations.  Needless to say, it is a lot of detail.

The focus is on 160M.  We are working on building the maps right now and are at a decision point.  Do we just focus on 160M or would this information be of interest to those folks chasing tropospheric predictions at VHF/UHF?  It is important for me to know now since we are working on automating the compilation of the data.  If it is of interest, then I am going to push to have the entire data set summarized.  If it is not of interest, then we are going to bag attempting to analyze all the low altitude stuff (i.e. below 50,000 ft).

Let me know.  Either direct or through the reflector.

Ford-N0FP
ford at cmgate.com