DIY...

Source: Technology Review

If you find yourself with an old 30 meter satellite communication antenna, what should you do with it? One option is to convert it into a radio telescope, which is exactly what astronomers at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand have done with an old dish lying around in the northernmost reaches of the country.

So what exactly do you have to do to convert a communications antenna into a radio telescope? Today, Lewis Woodburn at the Auckland University of Technology and a few pals, answer this question by detailing the process they have gone through to make the conversion.

The old satellite communications dish in question was built in 1984 for the New Zealand Post Office and transferred to Telecom New Zealand in 1987. By 2010, the dish had become obsolete and the company stopped maintenance with the intention of demolishing it. That’s when the Auckland University of Technology stepped in.

Abstract:

We describe our approach to the conversion of a former 100-foot (30-m) telecommunication antenna in New Zealand into a radio telescope. We provide the specifications of the Earth Station and identify the priorities for the conversion. We describe implementation of this plan with regards to mechanical and electrical components, as well as design of the telescope control system, telescope networking for VLBI, and telescope maintenance. Plans for RF, front-end and back-end developments based on radio astronomical priorities are outlined.

Physics arXiv:
Conversion of New Zealand's 30m Telecommunication Antenna into a Radio Telescope
Lewis Woodburn, Tim Natusch, Stuart Weston, Peter Thomasson, Mark Godwin, Sergei Gulyaev