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| For EME and Radio Astronomy a fixed dish won't work. In the same way that the azimuth pivot was modified for SETI use, it can likewise be utilized for constructing a true polar (equitorial) mount. This would require 2 actuators (dish movers). One actuator will provide elevation adjustment via the modified azimuth pivot. And the actual azimuth agility will come from the second actuator which pivots the mount on the ground pole in the horizontal plane. This is not as difficult as it may sound and all the materials used for TVRO installations can be used to acomplish a true polar mount that provides 0 to 90 degree elevation and horizon-to-horizon azimuth positioning. all you need is a drill, a hack saw, nuts & bolts, a sunny day, and a delightful, cold beverage. | ||||||||||||
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| Here's a manual version of a polar (or equitorial) mount that I made for the 5-foot dish. Turn the cranks and you have horizontal or vertical agility. Imagine the cranks and threaded rod being replaced by 24 volt linear actuators and you can understand the principle of a true remote control, or computer controlled, dish positioner of the equitorial/polar variety. The big dish will be all of that, actuator driven, with specific positioning presets and, hopefully, some kind of software to allow for "hour tracking", EME locationing, and planet listening. Interestingly, I calibrate the dish by pointing it at the sun in mid-summer when the sun is at zenith (true noon) -directly overhead. With the receiver's preselector/preamp set to +60 dB over S9 on an Icom R-7000, all other planets acquire a unique signature. I have listened to Venus, Saturn, Jupitor, and the chaos of the Milky Way. There are a lot of signals comming from above, including the man made satellites, auora, static buildup, etc. (But no jazz, funk, or punk.) If you want your ears cleaned out, try listening during a thunder storm !!! Outch. Additions to this page will be posted as they happen |
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