Radio Astronomy

The radio telescope is intended for high school level classes, but may be appropriate for introductory college courses or advanced middle school students. The students setup the receiver & understand receiver basics. They also construct the special antenna needed to receive the planetary or solar emissions. The antenna requires construction of a basic structure using wood or pipe, ropes, stakes, etc. which gives them basic understanding of a Dipole antenna & its construction.

Once the receiver & antenna rigged & tested, the students determine a good time to observe Jupiter based on predictions supplied on the Radio JOVE website. Note that Jupiter radio signals can only be received at night and the conditions are often best in the hours just before dawn. Also, the antenna needs to be set up in a location that is as free from electrical interference as possible. This may be possible near some open areas such as play grounds or schools, but it is recommended that observing be done in nighttime field trips to locations away from power lines and other sources of interference. 

The Radio Telescope, 20.1MHZ High Performance, Low Noise, Direct Conversion Receiver, Astro-1, costs US$149.95.  Receiver includes built-in A/D Converter and DC voltage output for recorders. Also included is an Antenna Kit & covers Shipping charges to any destination in the world by Registered Air Mail. 

Basic Details: 

Astro-1 has a 0-5V DC output suitable for recorders, a speaker/Headphone amplifier and An A/D Converter circuit for Parallel port connection to your PC, which makes it compatible with Radio Sky pipe program.

Astro-1L is also available without DC output and A/D converter ICs and costs $119.95. You may buy AD8307 and MAX186 later directly from manufacturer and install to get these functions. All the circuit components are installed on PCB and ready for use.

Receiver Kit contains:

1. A Complete, assembled & tested "Astro-1" receiver. Full Specifications
2. Complete user's instructions for operation and setup of Receiver; 
3. Antenna Kit with cable, wire, and connectors; Antenna Kit
4. Complete step-by-step instructions for antenna assembly and setup; Antenna Manual
5. CD ROM with software and general information.

The materials for supporting (poles etc) the antenna are not included in the kit nor are the tools that are necessary to put the antenna together, such as a soldering iron, wire clippers, and other typical tools which you will require for putting up the antenna.

In order to be able to analyze the data and share it with others there is also the need to capture the radio data and this can be done by feeding the output of the receiver into a tape recorder or directly into a computer. 

On a field trip it may be more convenient to use the tape recorder than to carry along a computer, even if you have a laptop. Small tape recorders can be purchased for this purpose, but they must not have an automatic gain control (automatic volume adjustment) or the control must be capable of being switched off since such a control makes it difficult to measure the relative strength of the signals. 

The cost of recorders sufficient for this purpose are about $70 (Radio Shack Models CTR 69 and CTR 117 are both priced at $70). The Radio Jove project has created software for Window 95/98 that simulates a chart recorder for plotting the data on a 486 or better model personal computer having a sound card. The software is available from the Nasa's Jove project Website.

A central web site will accept files of data from observing groups around the country and make them available for schools and scientists to see and hear. The site also contains general information and activities relevant to the understanding of radio astronomy and, in particular, how to order, build, use, and understand the data from radio receiver kits. These web pages are currently under construction.

How to Get Started

To allow the project to keep in contact with the participating schools, we ask that you fill out and return an application (by mail or FAX). The application form is available on the Web on the Radio JOVE website, or you may fax a request for an application to Radio Jove School Application, attn: J. Thieman at 1-301-286-1771.

You can buy "Radio Astronomy Receiver" -    On-Line