SADARS

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25 June 2016 - Club Visit to Mullard Radio Astronomy Site

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 08:14 AM PDT
http://www.sadars.co.uk/archives/1289


David, G8UOD reports that the Saturday visit to Â*Mullard Radio Astronomy
Observatory went very well. We were given aÂ*brief history of the site from
the war through to becoming a site for antennas to monitor the skies.

We were shown the museum, which is quite small, but had some interesting
items from the early days, including part of the German radar equipment,
which was initially used with someÂ*modifications.

We were shown several of the arrays, including the one mile and half mile
antennas and the 4C array made of conventional structured antennas, only
lots of them.

The last time we visited the site was back in 2003 and the long array of
dishes on the old railway line have now been clustered as the technology
now available enables the University to do the same job as the old. We
visited the millimetre antennasÂ*which were being built the last time we
visited.

Peter was a very good host and we all enjoyed ourselves, although some
would have liked aÂ*bit more info on what the information received was used
for, but Peter pointed out that he was an engineer and theÂ*academics at the
university would have to be the ones to give that information.

The tour started about 11.00 and ended at 14.15. Â*I thanked Peter onÂ*behalf
of the club.Â*Â* All in all anÂ*enjoyable experience.