The MVUS FMT:
April 2008 Announcement
Last Minute News:
For 20M run, we will be 1 kHz below announced
frequency.
For 40M run, we will be 1 kHz above announced frequency.
The Midwest VHF/UHF Society (located in Southwest Ohio) is pleased to announce that our second MVUS Frequency Measuring Test will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2008. There will be two transmission periods, each on a single band: the first at 16:30 EDT (2030 UTC) on 20M, and the second at 17:30 EDT (2130 UTC) on 40M. Transmissions will be from W8KSE in Dayton, Ohio (grid square EM79).
Here are more details:
- Two runs: 1630 EDT (2030 UTC) on 20M, and 1730 EDT (2130 UTC) on 40M.
- Nominal frequencies: 14055 and 7055 KHz, plus or minus QRM.
NOTE: Check here right before the test for last minute frequency
changes.
- Power: about 300 watts.
- Antenna: 3 element yagi at about 90 feet, aimed west, on 20 meters,
and an inverted vee broadside east/west on 40 meters.
- Format: Each run will start with a ~5 minute callup, followed by
three key-down periods, each of just under 10 minutes, with an ID and
callup message in between.
- To make things more interesting, there will be a small (<100 Hz)
frequency change between each of the three key-down periods.
- A "complete" entry will therefore include 6 measurements -- three
measurements on each of two bands. However, don't let that daunt you --
we'll accept anything from one measurement on up.
- Submit entries by May 1, 2008 using the new, improved submission form
at
www.febo.com/pages/mvus-fmt/entry_form.html.
- At this time, prizes for the winners (beyond hearty congratulations) are not yet finalized. But we hope to have some goodies to give away.
If you have any questions, please send them to fmt@mvus.org. We will publish the official frequencies shortly after the submission deadline to time-nuts and fmt-nuts, and will make the full results available on the MVUS FMT web page as soon as we can.
Our goal is to transmit a signal known in frequency to parts in 10e-12 (i.e., less than 0.0001 Hz error at 10 MHz) and stable to a similar level during the course of the transmission. Frequencies will be measured at the transmitter site with a system capable of microHertz resolution referenced to a GPS disciplined oscillator, and will also be monitored by another station in groundwave range that can measure the frequencies with similar accuracy.
The MVUS Frequency Measuring Test is intended to supplement, not replace, the ARRL FMT.
Further information will be posted at http://www.febo.com/time-freq/FMT.
For discussion about off-air frequency measurement, we suggest you check out the FMT-nuts mailing list, sponsored by Connie Marshall, K5CM. For details, go to http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/FMT-nuts.