Radio telescopes require numerous components in order to function properly, the dish and stand just being the start of a long list of electrical and mechanical components needed to make it work. These include, but are not limited to;
Wire frame drawing of a low noise amplifier
http://217.34.103.131/pdfs/ZRL-2400LN.pdf
- Receivers (to pick up the frequency)
- Filters (get rid of any background noise you don’t want (you usually want one per observation band)
- Amplifiers (enhance the frequency you want to observe)
- Shielded cabling (to connect all the components together)
- Analysers (to make sense of the received frequencies)
- Data loggers (to store the collected information)
- Motorised joint (to move the dish to point at the desired spot in the sky)
A lot of these components don’t come cheap, the cabling alone costs £50-£60 per metre! So a lot of procurement work involves shopping around in order to find the best component at the best price. Some examples are listed here:
- Cabling – http://217.34.103.131/pdfs/CBL1.5SMQ-SM+.pdf
- Low noise amplifier – http://217.34.103.131/pdfs/ZRL-2400LN.pdf
We are currently in the process of putting together our final shopping list but as with all building and DIY projects you start with a wish list and a list of components you cannot do without then get shopping, so expect many more updates in the future.
Written by Gerard Halliday – Procurement Team Leader
