When writing the 4.3 version I wanted the user to have way to update
and
maintain individually the software for at least 5 years in to the future.
The need arises from the ever changing nature of meteor shower phenomena.
These files reduce the need of re-acquiring a fresh software version.
The monthly average files are no longer used or sent.
All files are simple ASCII text files that can be edited with
a text editor and sent by E-mail.
To get update files, you have to join the mailing list or download and re-install MS-Soft again.
Without these DATA files the software will NOT work!
If one changes the parameter files, the software will produce different
output data and the author can not resume any responsibility of the
quality
of the results produced. If you feed garbage in, you will get garbage
out.
The data files originating from the author do not contain the absolute
truth, but do reflect the present knowledge of the meteor showers
obtained by use of scientific methods and published by meteor organizations
and astronomers.
MSDATA files contain measured raw data from meteor reflections on
various frequencies
from 87 to 108 MHz depending on availability of clear frequencies.
The E-mail mailing list have been successfully used
to distribute this data for users since 1993. Packet Radio distribution
ended around 1998 due to low demand and local network problems.
Each file covers a time period of 4 days.
Each year includes files around the peak time of 12 showers.
These files should not be modified by the user.
Files are located in \MSDATA sub directory.
File name is formed as:
shoYY.m
sho - 3, or 4 character abbreviation of the shower name.
YY - the year (1900+yy) or (2000+yy)
The file begins with a date and time stamps, ends at 97 hour mark.
No blank lines should exist before, or after the data.
Format is not explained, as the software includes a viewer for the data.
The data since 1997 is scaled because of changes in the receiving frequencies and the receiving setup, which makes the comparison of the activity level from year to year a little uncertain.
Data taken after Eurosignal's shutdown (1997 spring), has the last parameter
from SK4MPI's
backscatter signal duration via Radio Aurora.
The file contains parameters for 12 meteor showers.
File contains 12 lines, one for each shower.
These files can be modified by the user.
File is not located in sub directory.
File name is:
PEAKDATN.DAT selected for latitudes over 40 deg N
PEAKDATS.DAT selected for latitudes under 40 deg N
No blank lines should exist before, or after the showers.
Format:
Name,activedays,peakSL,duration,accuracy,peakMM,peakDD,ZHR,velocity
z-Perseids,20 Jun-05 Jul,78.6,6 days,ñ12 hours,6,9,40,29.0,Daytime
shower, Based on radio data
Parameters:
Most likely target of modification is the peak Solar Longitude.
For meteor outbursts, the Solar Longitude needs new value to be set
for each year. Unfortunately there is room only for one value, so outbursts
with multiple peaks like Leonids only one of the peaks can be set for the
Peak Calculator.
For annual showers changes are not necessary.
Other parameters are just information shown on the screen.
Shower's default peak date must remain in a +-4 day window with maximum
solar longitude .
If they differ too much, a message prompting you to change the default
peak
date by +1 or -1 day will be shown. Re-try after editing the date.
It is unlikely you have to change it.
The length of the text fields is limited. Too long text will mess up
the screen.
File contains ZHR values covering years from 1980 to 2010 for 12
meteor
showers, as the ZHR values are available.
File contains 12 lines. One for each shower.
This files can be updated by the user.
These files are not located in sub directory.
File name is:
ZHRDATAN.DAT selected for latitudes over 40 deg N
ZHRDATAS.DAT selected for latitudes below 40 deg N and for all southern
latitudes.
No blank lines should exist before, or after the showers.
Format:
ZHR for 1980,ZHR for 1981,ZHR for 1982.....etc. to year 2010
180,180,97,116,67,85,90,70,90,110,0,400,400,305,225,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
Parameters:
The order of the lines is the same as with PEAKDATN.DAT or PEAKDATS.DAT
i.e. the fifth line
of ZHRs belong to the shower on the fifth line in the PEAKDATN.DAT
or -S.DAT file.
Not available ZHR is marked as zero (0).
The file contains shower parameters for the Geometry section and
on-line calculations on CW.
File must NOT contain more than 65 lines!
These files can be modified by the user.
Files are not located in sub directory.
File names are:
euro.dat
florida.dat
austral.dat
One of these three files is selected automatically by the software.
The decision is based on the latitude of your location:
Your latitude filename
40 to 90 deg North EURO.DAT
0 to 40 deg North FLORIDA.DAT
0 to 90 deg South AUSTRAL.DAT
Each file contains all the showers that have radiant above the horizon
for
the latitude of the site. Of course this kind of division is a bit
crude, but after studying carefully
the shower availability, user can delete, or import a showers from
an other
file, or edit new showers in the file.
The showers are listed in DESCENDING (in reversed time) order by Solar Longitude
No blank lines are allowed in the file.
Format:
startSL,"NAME",peakSL,ZHR,RAø,DEø,peakDD,peakMM,ëRAø,ëDEø,vel,r-index,W
85.3,"b-TAURIDS",96.7,25,86,19,28,6,.6,.3,30,2.7,2
Parameters:
startSL, Start solar longitude, when shower takes over from the previous
shower (on the line below) in eqx. 2000 co-ordinates
Modeling of some unsymmetric or wide&sharp peak showers like Geminids,
Quadrantids and all outburst of showers such as
Leonids and Perseids, require the use of several activity curve segments
taking more than just one line in the file.
Another problem are the meteor outburst predictions.
It is necessary to form a sum sctivity profile and use the resulting dat for MS-Soft's .dat files for correct results. This is necessary because the overall ZHR (sum) for each hour consists of meteors from two or more trailets which activity overlap and since the astronomers who publish the trailet's ZHR peak rates, indicate only the ZHR from just one specific trailet. In practice this conserns only Leonids, Perseids, and Ursids during the years when they produce outbursts.
IMO and all meteor shower catalogs announce just the shower's peak ZHR rates, for instance 120 for some shower, which may include the background component of 20 and the peak component of 100 for instance, which rates are directly applicable for MS-Soft's .dat files.
Here is an example:
Quadrantids has a background component that models the activity outside the main peak. It's ZHR is 20 according to P. Jenniskens, "Meteor Activity 1, the Annual Streams."
283.6,"QUADRANTIDS",283.12,20,230,49,4,1,.8,-.2,41.5,2.1,1.9
282.75,"QUADRANTIDS",283.12,120,230,49,4,1,.8,-.2,41.5,2.1,.35
279,"QUADRANTIDS",283.12,20,230,49,4,1,.8,-.2,41.5,2.1,2.4
Showers that have several components and radiants with their own peaks
like the Virginids (Virgo complex), could also be modeled that way,
but as their ZHR is quite low, this is not necessary, or meaningful.
The sporadic meteor rates have been computed using an algorithm including
terms
for diurnal and annual variation for the site.
If this file is corrupted, the software will NOT work! It will not even
work
on CW QSO's because the on-line displays use these datas!
A corrupted file must be deleted and original file restored (possibly
the whole package
downloaded via the Internet).
Tips for modifications:
Keep in mind this file is time wise in bottom to top order.
If you change the shower's (segment's) ZHR (or W, or
Sl),
you also have to check&change the start
Solar Longitude of this shower (segment), and the next shower
(segment). (Next shower
is on the line above the one being changed, previous is below.)
After editing the data you have to restart Geometry calculation make
the software to read the modified data file.
Test and look for discontinuity ramps on the ZHR curve. Re-adjust Solar
Longitude limits and re-test. Editing is complete when the ZHR curves
are
smooth when moving from one to another shower.
The file "worked.txt" contains the list of worked squares. You see
the worked
squares marked by blue squares in the Geometry part's Locator selection
map.
Format:
FM55AX (...line may contain more of your own text but NO commas!...)
JO22BD
KP11
CK01fg
...
...
etc.
The squares on the list may be in any (mixed) order, have 4, or 6 characters.
The first two letters must be capitals and there may be other text,
or blanks
after the locator, but no commas! Missing "worked.txt" file
will not
cause software errors. All squares that are within screen limits, even
the
ones outside the map grid area, are plotted. If this bothers you, delete
the unwanted ones
from the list. As of now, worked squares are shown only for a single
band (of your own choice).