Consolidated Amateur Radio Reports as Indicators of Intense Sporadic-E Layers

A case study is presented to demonstrate the usefulness and validity of consolidated amateur (‘ham’) radio signal reports as indicators of the presence of ionospheric sporadic-E (Es). It is shown that amateur data can provide an important supplement to other techniques, allowing the detection of Es where no suitable ionosonde or satellite radio occultation measurements are available. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated by reference to ionosonde data, and the advantages and limitations of the technique are discussed.