Small Radio Telescope Program's Mission Statement
The objective of the
Small Radio Telescope Program is to acquire and operate a small radio
telescope in support of a comprehensive educational and research
program. This program will be directed at increasing the
understanding of science and electrical engineering in the local
schools and universities of the greater Daytona Area.
History of Program
History of Program
In early 2007 a grant
application was submitted by the Daytona IEEE Section to the IEEE Life
Member Committee (LMC) to provide funding for a Small Radio Telescope
(SRT) Program. The purpose of the SRT Program was to acquire,
assemble and calibrate a small radio telescope to be used for teaching
radio astronomy, electronics, communications, antenna theory, and data
processing. The device will be used to support the teaching of these
technologies at the University Level, High School and Junior High
School Level, and provide workshops to home schooled students.
In January of 2008 we received confirmation that the grant for the SRT Project was approved by the IEEE LMC, and that funding had been made available.
Minutes of February 12th, 2008 Meeting SRT Program Committee
Halifax River Yacht Club, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendees: Ron Gedney, Roger Grubic, Charlie Husbands, Allen Jusko, Jane Owen, Hugh Ward, Tracy Wichmann
The Daytona Section received the funds from the Life Member Committee on 21 January 2008. Once the funds were received we called the kit suppliers and re-confirmed prices and ordering procedures. The executive board met on Tuesday, February 12 to:
(1) Appoint Dr. Hugh Ward project leader, and appoint a support team to work with him,
(2) Review the final purchase orders for the kit. The purchase order for the SRT was mailed on February 16. Delivery is expected in 8 months.
It was decided to mount the SRT on a Trailer for easy transport to various audiences. The trailer requirements are being defined and negotiations with a local trailer company for build is underway.
A Press release has been prepared and sent to the local press concerning the grant.
While waiting for the SRT to be delivered, the Daytona Section Subcommittee plans to focus on strategy and plans for making best use of the telescope. For example, we will start to define what radio astronomy experiments should be performed once the SRT is operational, and define courses, lectures, projects, etc. that can be implemented using the SRT as a focus (such as navigation, earth geography, microwave antennas and receivers, quantum physics, radiation, physics and many others).
The next meeting of the SRT team is scheduled for Thursday February 28, 2008.
Ron Gedney
Life Member Chairman
Daytona Section
Minutes of February 28th, 2008 Meeting SRT Program Committee
Halifax River Yacht Club, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendees: Ron Gedney, Roger Grubic, Charlie Husbands, Allen Jusko, Jane Owen, Hugh Ward, Tracy Wichmann
The SRT Committee met at 6:00 PM in the Daytona Yacht Club to review progress and status on the SRT. Hugh Ward reported that the SRT has been ordered. He would like to name Diane Sartori as assistant project manager to help with employing the SRT, and working on the educational development side of the program. Ms. Sartori is an astronomy teacher and has agreed to participate in the SRT Program. Ms. Satori is currently participating in the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program and using it as a teaching tool.
Hugh Ward indicated that we might seriously consider participating in this program at some time in the future. The GAVRT program is a partnership involving NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the Lewis Center for Educational Research (LCER) in Apple Valley, California. The program provides an opportunity for students, teachers, scientists and educators, by means of the internet, to control and collect data from the Goldstone 34-meter radio telescope. Until recently the Goldstone Radio Telescope was part of NASA's Deep Space Network.
The group discussed some of the details associated with placing the SRT on a trailer. Because of its physical size the antenna mount must be capable of folding for transport and storage. Hugh Ward has been in contact with both the SRT manufacture CASSI and MIT's Haystack Hill facility concerning this problem. It was decided that the storage configuration of the trailer and antenna system must be able to
fit into a standard one car garage with an overhead door, and should be able to be set up and stowed by one person. The new CASSI antenna with both azimuth and elevation motors requires a different trailer design then the one available on the Haystack Hill website, or the trailer design being produced by Stetson University for their SRT.
Charlie Husbands has taken on the responsibility of acquiring and testing the software developed for the SRT. He will download the simulator off of the Haystack Hill website and modify it to meet our location and antenna design requirements. The simulator which uses the same control console as the SRT will enable the group to become comfortable with the control of the antenna and the presentation of the collected data before the hardware is delivered.
The next meeting of the entire SRT team is scheduled for Thursday March 27, 2008.
Ron Gedney
Life Member Chairman
Daytona Section
Minutes of March 27th, 2008 Meeting SRT Program Committee
Halifax River Yacht Club, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendees: Ron Gedney, Roger Grubic, Charlie Husbands, Jane Owen, Hugh Ward, Tracy Wichmann
The SRT Committee met at 6:00 PM in the Daytona Yacht Club to review progress and status on the SRT. Hugh Ward provided a letter and purchase order for a cavity filter for the SRT under construction. The cavity filter, designed to reduce out-of-band interference, must be placed between the antenna receiving element and the low noise amplifier. The cavity filter requires modifications to the antenna's electronics section so it is necessary to acquire and install the filter prior to the completion of the antenna construction phase of the SRT. At the meeting the committee voted to acquire the filter and the letter and purchase orders were signed and sent to CASSI.
A letter was received from Diane Satori indicating that she would like to make of presentation on the GAVRT workshop she recently attended. Ms. Sartori is an astronomy teacher at Pine Hills High School in Deltona, Florida. Ms. Satori is currently participating in the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program and using the Goldstone telescope as a teaching tool. Her presentation will be made at Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach Florida, on April 9th at 5:00 PM.
At the present time Charlie Husbands is familiarizing himself with the control software necessary to operate the SRT. This software available from MIT's Haystack Hill Site provides a simulation capability to permit the user to become familiar with the operation of the SRT before the antenna and digital receiver hardware is delivered. Charlie agreed to hold a short workshop in May 2007 to familiarize the members of the Section with some of the capabilities and limitations associated with the software developed for the SRT system.
The SRT committee previously approved the placement of the SRT antenna structure on a trailer for transportability and storage. Hugh Ward has agreed to assign Al Jusko of the SRT committee to work with the trailer manufacture to develop and implement a mechanical design to meet our transportation and storage requirements.
Hugh Ward indicated that he has a satellite dish and transceiver in storage at the school which might be converted to provide a secondary receiver for the SRT project. If the stored system is to be used it must be removed from the school and relocated to another storage location before 1 June 2008.
The next meeting of the entire SRT team is scheduled for Thursday April 24th, 2008 at 6:00 PM.
Ron Gedney
Life Member Chairman
Daytona Section
In January of 2008 we received confirmation that the grant for the SRT Project was approved by the IEEE LMC, and that funding had been made available.
Minutes of February 12th, 2008 Meeting SRT Program Committee
Halifax River Yacht Club, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendees: Ron Gedney, Roger Grubic, Charlie Husbands, Allen Jusko, Jane Owen, Hugh Ward, Tracy Wichmann
The Daytona Section received the funds from the Life Member Committee on 21 January 2008. Once the funds were received we called the kit suppliers and re-confirmed prices and ordering procedures. The executive board met on Tuesday, February 12 to:
(1) Appoint Dr. Hugh Ward project leader, and appoint a support team to work with him,
(2) Review the final purchase orders for the kit. The purchase order for the SRT was mailed on February 16. Delivery is expected in 8 months.
It was decided to mount the SRT on a Trailer for easy transport to various audiences. The trailer requirements are being defined and negotiations with a local trailer company for build is underway.
A Press release has been prepared and sent to the local press concerning the grant.
While waiting for the SRT to be delivered, the Daytona Section Subcommittee plans to focus on strategy and plans for making best use of the telescope. For example, we will start to define what radio astronomy experiments should be performed once the SRT is operational, and define courses, lectures, projects, etc. that can be implemented using the SRT as a focus (such as navigation, earth geography, microwave antennas and receivers, quantum physics, radiation, physics and many others).
The next meeting of the SRT team is scheduled for Thursday February 28, 2008.
Ron Gedney
Life Member Chairman
Daytona Section
Minutes of February 28th, 2008 Meeting SRT Program Committee
Halifax River Yacht Club, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendees: Ron Gedney, Roger Grubic, Charlie Husbands, Allen Jusko, Jane Owen, Hugh Ward, Tracy Wichmann
The SRT Committee met at 6:00 PM in the Daytona Yacht Club to review progress and status on the SRT. Hugh Ward reported that the SRT has been ordered. He would like to name Diane Sartori as assistant project manager to help with employing the SRT, and working on the educational development side of the program. Ms. Sartori is an astronomy teacher and has agreed to participate in the SRT Program. Ms. Satori is currently participating in the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program and using it as a teaching tool.
Hugh Ward indicated that we might seriously consider participating in this program at some time in the future. The GAVRT program is a partnership involving NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the Lewis Center for Educational Research (LCER) in Apple Valley, California. The program provides an opportunity for students, teachers, scientists and educators, by means of the internet, to control and collect data from the Goldstone 34-meter radio telescope. Until recently the Goldstone Radio Telescope was part of NASA's Deep Space Network.
The group discussed some of the details associated with placing the SRT on a trailer. Because of its physical size the antenna mount must be capable of folding for transport and storage. Hugh Ward has been in contact with both the SRT manufacture CASSI and MIT's Haystack Hill facility concerning this problem. It was decided that the storage configuration of the trailer and antenna system must be able to
fit into a standard one car garage with an overhead door, and should be able to be set up and stowed by one person. The new CASSI antenna with both azimuth and elevation motors requires a different trailer design then the one available on the Haystack Hill website, or the trailer design being produced by Stetson University for their SRT.
Charlie Husbands has taken on the responsibility of acquiring and testing the software developed for the SRT. He will download the simulator off of the Haystack Hill website and modify it to meet our location and antenna design requirements. The simulator which uses the same control console as the SRT will enable the group to become comfortable with the control of the antenna and the presentation of the collected data before the hardware is delivered.
The next meeting of the entire SRT team is scheduled for Thursday March 27, 2008.
Ron Gedney
Life Member Chairman
Daytona Section
Minutes of March 27th, 2008 Meeting SRT Program Committee
Halifax River Yacht Club, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendees: Ron Gedney, Roger Grubic, Charlie Husbands, Jane Owen, Hugh Ward, Tracy Wichmann
The SRT Committee met at 6:00 PM in the Daytona Yacht Club to review progress and status on the SRT. Hugh Ward provided a letter and purchase order for a cavity filter for the SRT under construction. The cavity filter, designed to reduce out-of-band interference, must be placed between the antenna receiving element and the low noise amplifier. The cavity filter requires modifications to the antenna's electronics section so it is necessary to acquire and install the filter prior to the completion of the antenna construction phase of the SRT. At the meeting the committee voted to acquire the filter and the letter and purchase orders were signed and sent to CASSI.
A letter was received from Diane Satori indicating that she would like to make of presentation on the GAVRT workshop she recently attended. Ms. Sartori is an astronomy teacher at Pine Hills High School in Deltona, Florida. Ms. Satori is currently participating in the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program and using the Goldstone telescope as a teaching tool. Her presentation will be made at Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach Florida, on April 9th at 5:00 PM.
At the present time Charlie Husbands is familiarizing himself with the control software necessary to operate the SRT. This software available from MIT's Haystack Hill Site provides a simulation capability to permit the user to become familiar with the operation of the SRT before the antenna and digital receiver hardware is delivered. Charlie agreed to hold a short workshop in May 2007 to familiarize the members of the Section with some of the capabilities and limitations associated with the software developed for the SRT system.
The SRT committee previously approved the placement of the SRT antenna structure on a trailer for transportability and storage. Hugh Ward has agreed to assign Al Jusko of the SRT committee to work with the trailer manufacture to develop and implement a mechanical design to meet our transportation and storage requirements.
Hugh Ward indicated that he has a satellite dish and transceiver in storage at the school which might be converted to provide a secondary receiver for the SRT project. If the stored system is to be used it must be removed from the school and relocated to another storage location before 1 June 2008.
The next meeting of the entire SRT team is scheduled for Thursday April 24th, 2008 at 6:00 PM.
Ron Gedney
Life Member Chairman
Daytona Section