Listening To Jupiter's Radio Emissions

[Mr Q]

Now that Jupiter is in our sky at night, it's a good time to listen to its radio emissions. This can be done with a shortwave receiver tuned to from 18 - 21 MHz during the night when this part of the spectrum is quiet (no ionospheric ducting of distant radio signals as is with the lower frequencies at night at this time of the year).

What you are listening for is a background rush of noise that sounds like surf breaking on a distant shore. It will drift in and out slowly (several minuets) or quickly ( several seconds) from the background static noise level. The peak signal strength will be broad - about 1-2MHz wide - and can reach a signal strength of about "S-8" on a receiver's signal meter, with an outdoor antenna ( a horizontal dipole works nicely). Radios with built in antennas will pick up too much power line noise so the radio should have an outdoor antenna or be taken to a rural site (when you observe from a dark site) where power line noise is at a minimum.

Any radio capable of receiving 18-22MHz will work and the mode that best hears the signals is SSB (single side band). Am will also detect it but not as well as SSB.

And at other times of the year, when Jupiter is only visible during the day, the same signals can be heard as long as this part of the SW band is fairly quiet from broadcast signals, which they may be here during the summer months when this part of the band is "open".

So as long as Jupiter is in the sky (day or night), you should be able to hear its radio emissions quite easily.

[teleskopjo]

Do ou need to tune into any particular radio station like in radio meteor scatter and, do you need to point the antenna to track jupiter?

[Mr Q]

Do ou need to tune into any particular radio station like in radio meteor scatter and, do you need to point the antenna to track jupiter?

No. just tune where you hear no broadcast stations or other man-made transmissions. The antenna does not have to be pointed at Jupiter at all. As long as the antenna (or radio) is outside a building where not much power line noise is evident, you should hear the signal. As long as Jupiter is within sight (even when cloudy), the signal should be heard especially at night when that part of the SW spectrum is usually dead.

[Astro_king]

Thanks interesting.. would phone radio receivers work similarly?

[Mr Q]

Thanks interesting.. would phone radio receivers work similarly?

Don't know how they work - you only get to hear broadcasts on the air? If so, I doubt it and I'm not sure but SW stations on that kind of service sounds unlikely to me. In any case, if the service lets you "dial in" to a particular frequency (between 18 and 22 MHz) where no man-made signals are received, then I would assume you would be able to hear the signals.

As a caution note, the signals radiate toward the Earth as they are "aimed" at it while the planet turns so sometimes there won't be any signals heard for an hour or more until the next radiating source moves into position to be heard here.