 | Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers
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Meetings
2009 Conference Abstracts
The Allen Telescope Array: The Newest Pitchfork For Exploring the Cosmic Haystack
(Keynote Presentation)
Jill Tarter, SETI Institute
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is an attempt to detect evidence of extraterrestrial technologies and thereby answer the age-old question "Are we alone?" The task is vast - it's often likened to looking for a needle in a cosmic haystack - but it's actually even more difficult, since the cosmic haystack is at least nine-dimensional! Fortunately, recent exponential improvements in digital technologies have yielded vastly improved capabilities for SETI search systems at both radio and optical wavelengths.
The Allen Telescope Array (ATA), currently under construction at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northern California, as a partnership with the Radio Astronomy Laboratory of UCB, is an innovative radio telescope built from a large number of small dishes. Whenever possible, consumer off-the-shelf technologies are used to minimize costs. The ATA will give SETI researchers continuous access to the radio sky, over an unprecedented range of frequencies, and it is the ideal instrument on which to install ever-improving SETI search systems. This is the first major facility designed for SETI as well as radio astronomy surveys. In the next decade, this new "pitchfork" will enable exploration of 1000 to 10,000 times more volume of the cosmic haystack than was searched in the previous decade. Who knows what we'll find!
Pulsar Detection using a Radio Jove Receiver
James VanProoyen, N8PQK
Pulsar detection and studies has been done at higher frequency, for example the UHF band. Detection of pulsars at lower frequencies may be possible using the NASA Radio Jove receiver and signal process technology. There is more signal to work with in this band, but the wave from will be more distorted then in the higher bands. We will present processed data from observations using this receiver, describe the modifications done to our current pulsar detection system to allow operations in this band.
Desktop Super Computer Technology for Radio Astronomy
James VanProoyen, N8PQK
We explore several technologies that can be used to build disk top super computers for signal processing of radio astronomy observations. Technology presented in this paper will be the Beowulf Clusters, Graphic Processors (GPGPU), and the Propeller Chip.
Celebrating Fifty Years of SETI
H. Paul Shuch, N6TX
This brief review of half a century of SETI science and technology is offered for the benefit of those students attending the 2009 Technical Conference of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA). These students tend to be long on enthusiasm and short on experience. They can best appreciate the more advanced technical material being presented by the various speakers if they first have a basic understanding of SETI concepts. This introduction is intended not to be exhaustive, but rather representative. It explores the nature of radio telescopes, experimental design strategies, SETI instrumentation, signal analysis, and the hallmarks of artificiality which allow us to differentiate between natural astrophysical emissions and intel-ligent interstellar transmissions.
Project Argus Progress Report: t plus 13 years and holding
H. Paul Shuch, N6TX
Following the cancellation in 1993 of the NASA SETI program, the grass-roots SETI League was established to help privatize SETI research. Project Argus, its principle scientific initiative, emerged as a continuation of the all-sky survey component of NASA's two-pronged Microwave Observing Project (MOP). Project Argus contemplated a global network of 5,000 small radio telescopes scattered across the surface of the Earth, providing real-time, continuous coverage of all 4 pi steradians of the celestial sphere. This paper traces the development of Project Argus, from its equipment design phase in 1995, through its launch the following year with just five operational instruments, into its growth phase topping 140 cooperative observation posts, and beyond, to its present state of stagnation, which has resulted in far fewer participants than had initially been expected. We explore possible reasons that Project Argus' growth has fallen short of its initial, optimistic goals; examine the technology used to take us this far and that which will be required to take us farther; and discuss the kinds of meaningful scientific observations which can still be made with the global Project Argus network, a viable tool in ongoing astrophysical and SETI research even at its present level. The paper concludes with a summary of lessons learned, which can be applied to future attempts to privatize curtailed government projects.
Plasma Motion Detection at Radio Frequencies
Rodney Howe
This presentation discusses a proposed study of solar plasma motion, a radio receiving system designed to detect plasma motion-driven microwaves, and the initial radio analysis to understand the receiving system characteristics.
Proposing a Research Project for Dark Matter Detection
Rodney Howe
Professional astronomers do not have time to do drift scans at 1420.406MHz (with perhaps the exception of Arecibo). It may also be that highly focused beam widths done by VLA and Arecibo at this frequency cause astronomers to overlook large quantities of HI clouds that inhabit the outer arms of our galaxy. There have been galactic surveys at 1420.406MHz of the HI clouds at narrow beam widths, but perhaps there needs to be a large beam width (0.7 to 3 degrees) spectral Doppler survey of the HI clouds.
An SDR-based wideband SETI spectrometer with high
resolution:
16 Million Channels and There's Nothing On!
Marcus Leech
Advances in off-the-shelf computing, and open-source SDR software have allowed the construction of a wideband SETI spectrometer with real-time detection capabilities. A spectrometer with 16M 1Hz channels has been constructed and tested, based on the Gnu Radio SDR architecture, and a fairly modest multi-core desktop Linux computer. We show the RF processing framework (constructed using the graphic GRC tool), and considerations in designing the analytical back-end, written in C. Problems involving spectral flattening, memory consumption, required CPU power, de-chirping, and detection strategies are discussed.
An Integrated, all-mode RA/SETI receiver based on Gnu Radio and USRP
Marcus Leech
Continuing advances in off-the-shelf computing capacity and performance, along with dramatically increased functionality in the Gnu Radio SDR platform have afforded a new approach to SDR-based receiver design for the amateur RA and SETI observer. We show an SDR-based receiver that simultaneous observing in a number of important RA and SETI modes, including Continuum, Spectral, SETI, Pulsar, and transient detection modes. By making a fully integrated receiver with a consistent user interface, the amateur observer can perform multiple observation types simultaneously. We show a method for detecting transients, and simultaneously determining the approximate apparent dispersion, and the implications for eliminating local transient from further consideration.
Cosmology and the Big Bang
Jon Wallace
During the SARA Conference we will explore the birth of the universe using the results from two NASA satellites, COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) and WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe). The discovery of the Cosmic Background radiation by Penzias and Wilson started a revolution in cosmology in the 1960s. Since then scientists have been using balloons to explore the radiation and try to see features within it to help explain the universe we see today. In the 1990s COBE provided our first quality look at that radiation. Spurred on by this success, NASA decided to send a second satellite (WMAP) to try to finalize the data about the radiation and the universe. The latest findings from WMAP have just been released (March 2008) and Jon Wallace will try to explain what they are and what they mean and give us an idea how and when the universe was created, what the universe was like shortly after it formed, and what the universe is like now.
Using the IBT Disk Set
Jon Wallace
These materials were developed by Kerry Smith and Jon Wallace for use in operating the IBT (Itty Bitty radio Telescope). The disk set was originally designed to be used by NRAO/SARA Navigators in making presentations with the IBT. It is now available to all members. Many of these materials can be used to make custom PowerPoint presentations. During this talk we will examine the disk contents and Jon will demonstrate the process of making a custom presentation from them.
The Magic of Maxwell: A Primer on Electromagnetic Theory
John Mannone
The profound, but often explosively intimidating, Maxwell equations are defused by discussing them from a historical context and by looking at them conceptually. The level of this talk is basic enough to help the novice appreciate the fundamentals of science and to give the veteran some new perspectives. Selected applications for the amateur radio astronomer will be discussed, which emphasize the importance of Maxwell's formalism, for example, the nature of light, the nature of plasma, how radio waves are produced (especially extraterrestrial), how antennas work, how coronal mass ejections might affect our power grid, etc.
A Multi-Band Feedhorn For Radio Astronomy
Paul Oxley
The paper describes the design, fabrication and testing of a Multi-band feedhorn. The first section of the feedhorn extracts 1420 MHz V & H signals. The first section also acts as a circular waveguide for the second and third sections passing their signals through a hole in the shorting plate. The second section extracts V & H polarities at 2800 MHz. It also acts as a waveguide delivering the higher frequencies to the third stage. The third stage consists of the circular waveguide section of an Invacom ADF-120 feedhorn which has a flange for attachment of a LNB at 10-12GHz.
Radio Astronomy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Ray Fobes
We will present an overview of the newly established radio astronomy facility at the Prescott, AZ campus of Ember-Riddle Aeronautical University. This talk will include what telescopes and receiving equipment are currently installed, what our plans are for 2009 and future plans for developing a teaching radio astronomy facility. We will also discuss the optical astronomy facilities available to the students and faculty.
A Radio Astronomy Phased Array for Pulsar Detection
Ray Fobes
We will present the design for a multi-element radio telescope phased array operating in the 75 cm (400) MHz regime. This presentation will provide a detailed description of the antenna subsystem, its phasing control and a block diagram level discussion of the receiving subsystem, and the data and analysis subsystems. We will also discuss the potential areas of investigation for the students. The primary purpose in developing this Pulsar detection system is to provide a teaching tool and develop computational analysis proficiency as well as potentially allowing the study of individual pulses emanating from pulsar.
Applying Directional and Polarization-Sensitive Antennas
David Fields
An astronomer's choice of which antenna design to use determines how successful will be his research. Occasionally a poor decision is made to avoid complex antennas in an attempt to avoid dealing with questions of directionality and polarization sensitivity (DPS). This is in truth a decision to ignore these characteristics. Consideration of DPS leads to improved astronomy (higher signal intensity), improved signal detection (through digital processing) and better physics (better knowledge of source characteristics). This presentation covers the physics of different types of (naturally-occurring) radio emission, how to optimize antenna choices to study these emissions, and (from personal experience) how difficult it can become to apply considerations of DPS in constructing antennas and interpreting observations.
Equipment and Procedures for Solar Radio-Astronomical Observations
Michael Rudolph
A description of Genesis Solar Observatory's radio telescope and operating procedure that employ the AR5000+3 broadband radio and SDR-14 software defined spectral analyzer as principal equipment.
Proposing a new Radio Quiet Zone on the Farside of the Moon
Claudio Maccone
The Protected Antipode Circle (PAC) is a circular piece of land located at the Moon Farside center. It extends between plus and minus 30 degrees in latitude and longitude. Then:
(1) PAC is the most shielded area of the Farside, with an expected attenuation of man-made RFI of 100 dB or higher;
(2) PAC does hardly overlap with any other areas of interest to human activity.
We propose PAC to be recognized by the United Nations as an International Protected Area, where no radio contamination by humans will possibly take place now and in the future for the benefit of all humankind.
