Telescope Hardware Setup

Overview of Telescope Design

• The horn telescope is designed as an ‘optimal’ horn, constructed from 1 gallon square paint thinner can and aluminized insulation board.

• The cradle provides a frame for the horn to be easily connected to any support stand of your choice. The cradle design presented here provides an ability for the horn to rotate on an axis for easy elevation angle control.

• The cradle can be connected to any base desired. The wooden support stand presented here provides sturdy support for the horn. It is a simple design that is affordable and easy to construct. Its largest dimension is 75 cm so that it just fits through a standard doorway.

• The horn telescope presented here is designed to be affordable and easily constructed using materials that can be obtained mostly from a local home improvement store.

Instructions for assembling the horn and base, and acquiring the needed electronic components:

1. Horn-Can Assembly - Details on assembling the can with the horn panels are provided here.

2. The Horn Cradle - Includes instructions for assembling a frame to support the horn.

3. The Base Stand - Provides instructions for building a simple, sturdy base for the telescope.

4. A Completed Horn Assembled - A video showing how the horn-can, cradle, and base stand are assembled.

5. Other Horn Designs - Links to a DSPIRA mini-horn and to similar non-DSPIRA designs are provided here.

6. The Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) - This is a critical component for successful telescope operation.

7. Software Defined Radio (SDR) Options - An SDR is needed for digitizing the radio signal for the computer.

All the lessons for Telescope Hardware Setup are listed below: