The new 2 m and 70 cm antennas use relays at their feed point to enable remote switching of the antenna’s polarity between Left-Hand and Right-Hand circular polarity. The 3.0 antenna system also uses a more powerful Azimuth-Elevation Rotator from Alfa-Spid. We’ve also added a 23 cm loop yagi for a third band. The larger 3.0 antennas are center mounted on a fiberglass cross boom to prevent the boom from affecting the antenna patterns. The new antenna system used the same ground-based roof tower arrangement that worked so well for the 2.0 station. The construction and testing of the 3.0 Station are well covered in articles on our Blog so I’ll just share a little information about the final result. Building The Primary Station Satellite Station 3.0 Antenna System The plan included upgrading the 2.0 Station Antennas to include switchable polarity and the a ddition of a 200W power amplifier for 2 m to compensate for the reduced gain of the smaller 8 element yagi in the 2.0 station. The 3.0 station would also receive a more capable antenna for the 70 cm band and add a 23 cm antenna for a third band. Uninterruptible power source (UPS or battery)Īfter consulting with the ARISS folks and some thought, we decided to use the then current Satellite Station 2.0 as the Backup Station and build a new Satellite Station 3.0 for use as the Primary Station. This approach also involved installing a larger rotator to accommodate the larger antenna and a heavier fiberglass cross-boom.Omnidirectional antenna, either vertical (preferred) or eggbeater style.Power amplifier with 100–200W output (optional).The backup station requirements are as follows: More on this in a minute… The Backup Station
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This requirement turned out to have a much more significant impact on the design of the Primary Ground Station than just changing the antenna and ultimately led to the construction of our Portable Satellite Station 3.0. Our 2.0 Station has an 8 element yagi with fixed polarity. Our Portable 2.0 Satellite Station already existed, and it met many of these requirements with a notable exception:ġ4 element yagi antenna with switchable circular polarity Satellite Station 2.0 Antenna Details Doppler correction is not required on the 2m band where the crew contacts take place.
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The ARISS approach is to used a series of “secret” uplink frequencies which are determined and provided only to the contact operators before each contact.
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^ 'NASA TV coverage of Mars Science Lander launch'.On Route in South Africa: Explore South Africa region by region. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. National Research Foundation of South Africa. ^ 'National Facilities - Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory'.
See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory. KAT-7, completed in 2012, marked the first stage of MeerKAT development. The XDM dish design was first used in KAT-7, a seven-dish engineering testbed and science instrument in Carnarvon in the Northern Cape Province.
The XDM, a prototype dish for the MeerKAT radio telescope, was constructed at HartRAO.