Update, and really big news!

Hi all,

As it turns out, those yagis aren't all they're cracked up to be:

http://groups.google.com/group/sara-list/t/9eb42eac638f3b29

So, in this respect, I have come to a couple of decisions for the radio observatory.

1. I am going to be scrapping the 1.2 x 2.7 meter cylinder and making a new improved and more well constructed one. It will be 2.4 x 2.7 meters, with the same f-ratio (f/0.25). This one will be much more rigidly constructed, with an improved and motorized (in declination) mount.

2. I am now accepting donations!

Go here to donate (its at the bottom of the page): http://channel37.110mb.com/

The observatory name is what you are paying towards, which is the Tesla Memorial Observatory (its in my personal account). Anything helps, donate as little or as much as you would like. I am just not going to be able to get this thing done at any good speed with the rate I'm going to be making (usable) money. I just got laid off from the tech support place, and am now working a part-time job at a restaurant for minimum wage, and all the paycheck is going to my family for the mortgage, utilities, groceries, etc.

I have also made an approximate budget for the new reflector and mount that I will report all purchases to by crossing out the item in the list. These dollar amounts are _approximate_ and just for those considering donating to refer to to get an idea of what the observatory needs and what they would consider giving. There will also be a donation count on that page, the spent amount, and the balance.

Its here:

http://channel37.110mb.com/rev_2_ant_budget.html

I greatly appreciate all contributions and their contributors.

Thank you all,

KM.

Another update... and big news!

Hi all,

I have come across a startling discovery:

http://www.tvaerials.com/product.aspx?productid=32

Its a 19 dBi gain yagi! This means that as of now I am making the cylinder the temporary UHF radio telescope. That is to say, I will be using the cylinder for UHF until I can get my grubby little hands on a couple of these yagis (I will phase together two of them)! A collinear phased array of two of these yagis will also be the new VLBI antenna, and be used in my eight meter "house interferometer."

The yagis will also be on a motorized alt-az mount made from two ordinary TV antenna rotors, some PVC pipe, potentiometers (for position feedback), and a little electronics magic with this:

http://www.geocities.com/yyz228/

As for the cylinder, I will be completing it for UHF to see how well it works on the source test ("first light"), and for some work until the yagis are installed. It will then be converted to L-band. It will also be the leading contender for the L-band VLBI antenna.

Cheers,

KM.

Another update on progress... and mount design!

Just another update here, got the job about three weeks ago! Most of the money for now is going to the home mortgage, as I stated previously. However, hopefully either this or the next Friday or Saturday, I'm going to purchase the parts for the transit mount, and build it onto the antenna.

As far as the transit mount design goes its difficult to explain, so I have created a graphic:

Basically its a kickstand mount that is held in place with suspension/tension cables. This seems to be a nice cheap (with the metal stock as expensive at it is at Home Depot) and lightweight way to get a strong, stable mounting structure for drift scan measurements. I'm estimating the cost at about $50-$70 USD, but don't hold me to that ;)

Anyway, I'll post back here when I get the supplies for the mount. The day of first light is getting nearer!

Cheers,

KM.

Updates on progress

Hey everybody,

I haven't been able to acquire funds to complete the radio telescope, because of being laid off my job last December. However, it looks as if I am going to get a new, better paying one soon (have an interview with a tech support company this Monday). I have to give some money to my family for awhile to pay off some of our debts (like the mortgage), but after a couple of months I will be back to constructing.

At first I'm going to just complete this antenna and source test, but I have the next step I have decided that I will take. I am going to build an interferometer, with an eight meter or so East-West baseline (across our property). This will drastically improve the mapping resolution and add some gain. The interferometer will be the multiplying type, with A/D conversion for each receiver and correlated by a Linux computer. The resultant data will be sent to my laptop for, filtering, Fourier transforming (to make the map), and after the scans are completed contour mapping. The resolution will be about two degrees or so, which will make for a useful (not a novelty) diffuse source map. Each antenna will have a clear view of the meridian line from 90 degrees north to about 10 degrees south, so I'll have no problems getting the full sky map.

After this I plan to do something pretty daring, if I can get enough people to participate. Very Long Baseline Interferometry, or VLBI. Its still in the conceptual phase, but I will start drafting after the eight meter interferometer is completed (that will get me some hands on experience with mapping interferometry).

Anyway, hope to get started soon here!

Cheers,

KM.