[TowerTalk] YT Statistics Files

[David O. Hachadorian]

On Fri, 29 Aug 1997 11:42:14 -0500 k4ro@music-city.tdec.state.tn.us (K4RO
Kirk Pickering) writes:
>When using YT, I use the W4-GA-** statistics files.  The files appear 
>to 
>have been created for the Atlanta, GA area.  I know for certain that 
>Atlanta 
>often experiences very different propagation from Nashville, TN (my 
>QTH.)  
>How can I generate statistics files for a specific location? 
>
>The files included with YT were generated using IONCAP.  Is IONCAP 
>available 
>to the average mortal?  Dean describes IONCAP as "a real pain in the 
>neck 
>to use."  Does anyone want to trade IONCAP runs for some terrain 
>analysis?  
>(I will need your DEM data, of course.)
>
>-Kirk  K4RO

The IONCAP engine is available in the program VOACAP,
Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program. It can
be downloaded for free on the net, but is quite large,
and is a little difficult to learn. It is also not
set up for automatic generation of statistics files
that cover variations in time of day, sunspot number,
frequency, and time of year. However, if you are interested in
propagation, it is a HUGE amount of fun to play with!

What I did, to roughly extrapolate the statistics files
from Los Angeles, CA to Yuma, AZ was to run one typical
VOACAP example for each continent on each band from LA and from
Yuma, noting the change in elevation angle for that specific
example. Then I adjusted the LA statistics file for each
band by the noted change in angle. It's not perfect, but then
statistics are never perfect. You could probably even use a simpler
program, such as Miniprop, to approximate the difference in elevation
angles between Atlanta and Nashville. Have fun!

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
k6ll@juno.com

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