A list of the components that are needed to build and operate a horn radio telescope system is presented below. Links to documentation and instructional videos are provided where applicable.
Why does the horn have these dimensions? How do they relate to observing the 21 cm line? See Horn Telescope Design
What’s Needed for a Complete Horn Radio Telescope System
-
the horn and antenna assembly
- the front end horn Click here for horn details
- the back end can and feedthrough antenna Click here for CAN details
- the front end and back end support stand Click here for stand details
-
a low noise amplifier (LNA)
All of the following work fine for use with the horn telescope. The DSPIRA LNA is the most stable and long lasting.
- Best option: the DSPIRA LNA – click on the Detailed Information and Instructions Link
- Next best option: Low Noise Amplifier Filtered Hydrogen Line 1420 MHz LNA 32 dB Gain LNA with Bias Tee
- Next best option: Nooelec SAWbird+ H1. This module combines a SAW filter and cascaded low-noise amplifiers for hydrogen line observations
-
an Airspy Software Defined Radio: Airspy R2
-
A coaxial cable with SMA connectors is needed to connect the LNA to the SDR.
-
computer and software options:
-
computer with a Linux (Ubuntu) operating system
-
install GNU Radio 3.8
-
get spectrometer_w_cal.grc from the DSPIRA software guide
-
-
computer with Windows operating system - the GNU Radio and spectrometer_w_cal.grc program can be run from a bootable flash drive
-
computer with Mac operating system - the GNU Radio and spectrometer_w_cal.grc program can be run from a bootable flash drive
-