Old SRT
Haystack Observatory has developed a small radio telescope (SRT) capable of continuum and spectral line observations in the L-band (1.42 GHz). This inexpensive radio astronomy kit provides everything needed to introduce students and amateur astronomers to the field of radio astronomy. A radio telescope is an excellent teaching tool as it involves the combined technologies of microwave engineering and digital computing. Its use involves astronomy, digital signal processing, software development, and analysis.
The SRT is a standard 2.3 meter diameter satellite television dish mounted on top of a fully motorized Az-El mount. This unique mounting arrangement allows the observer to perform total power measurements and contour mapping. Software has been provided for controlling the antenna and selection of sources. Data reduction can be performed using existing radio astronomy software packages or left as an exercise for the student.
New SRT
The Small Radio Telescope was developed by Haystack Observatory to serve as an educational tool for universities and colleges for teaching astronomy and radio technology. The original SRT was popular, with several hundred being built and is still in use at many colleges. It is no longer available new, however, and advances in electronics have rendered the original obsolete. Development of a new SRT was undertaken by Haystack in summer 2012.
The primary philosophy of this new design for the SRT is that the users should build the telescope themselves from commercially available equipment, based on plans, instructions, and software provided by Haystack. It is designed to be assembled easily with minimal need for special tools or skills. This approach provides an educational opportunity to the users who build the telescope. Also, users of the SRT will be more familiar with how it works if they assemble it themselves, allowing better in-house technical assistance.
The SRT is no longer available as a kit from Cassi Corp