The "AERIAL Man" commeth (a wibble!) :P

[Macavity]

Bit "off topic", but thought it might amuse the odd kindred spirit... 😁

For many of us, the pandemic had a significant effect on progress?
I now find myself 3 years older, and dreams of "Radio Astronomy",
have become slightly more remote? Idem many other things, sigh! 🤔

But suddenly, I felt INSPIRED! I phoned up "John The Aerials" (To be
said with Welsh Accent?) [teasing]. The upshot being this! (Diamond
D777 Aircraft Band, plus an X-5000 2m/70cm/23cm Ham Bands). 😎



These Antennas had been "Kicking Around"... But are now installed!
John is a "good bloke" - He can climb Ladders... And we also had a
lot of fun, playing with my Nano VNA-F + "NoElec" preamp etc. 😛



Behind left PC speaker lurks an Antenna Switch + my RSP1A SDR! 😉



Aside: Of course, it is NOT Radio Astronomy! But (as they say on TV)
"It's the Journey"?!? A lot of us have "Lost (Astro) Mojos"? But...  😁

P.S. Don't get *too* distracted by SWL-ing... "Scanning" etc. etc. 🤣
 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Macavity

[Macavity]

Heheh - The same questions occur to me again. (As asked before!)
Despite new Diamond X-5000 also has  23cm...  No signals (yet). lol.

But think I might revisit the idea of a "Micro Araceibo", as a start! 🙂
https://www.astropeiler.de/beobachtungen-der-21-cm-linie-mit-einfachen-mitteln/

P.S. Thanks again @robin_astro for the link(s) 😎

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Macavity

[wxsatuser]

You will most likely not find to much activity on 23cms, really depends on conditions and if your near any centres of activity.

Some of the best ham frequencies to check will be the FT8 ones, if there is any activity it will be on these frequencies.
144MHz......144.174MHz
432MHz......432.174MHz
1296MHz....1296.174Mhz

Best to watch for good tropo conditions and keep an eye on DX clusters.

For tropo conditions try Hepburn
For DX Cluster and pick a band to see what is being heard and where.

You could try beacons a list here

Edited October 12, 2023 by wxsatuser

[Macavity]

Thanks, for the information and links @wxsatuser ! 🙂

My kid-self did quite a bit of HF band SWL-ing back in the 70's - Not far from Manchester. 😉
Back in those days, "everyone" seemed to be into stuff like that. Less so, now, perhaps?

Sadly, I viewed the (then) RAE and "morse test" with (too much?) trepidation!
But I suspect the knowledge of the two hobbies are highly complemetary.
Cetainly SGL's Radio Astronomers have impressive RF knowledge! 😎

When I envisaged this, my N.Wales QTH had line-of-sight view towards both Manchester
and Liverpool. During the Pandemic, someone built a "ruddy great house" in the way!
But, I may still just have a few degrees clearence to one side of it. 😛
At 200m I may just have a (touch and go) height clearance!



Will probably get a budget priced 23cm YAGI to "play around"...
https://youtu.be/QwwH5yMD0fk?si=QYHO3ci3R41yc8X3

As noted in the "German" Links above, the possibility to get a basic
WHIFF of Radio Hydrogen Line depends on beam width too. Also,
Manch & L'pool are within a few deg (the YAGI has a beam width
of 20-30 deg?) Might just FIX one up in that *general* direction! 😉

Also, since above YAGI is cheap... he mentions grub screws, maybe
it could be retuned from 23cm to 1420MHz with angle grinder? 😁
At the moment, just getting more experience with UHF Tech...

Edited October 12, 2023 by Macavity

[Macavity]

Further aside: I don't think I have ever heard quite so much activity
on the HF amateur bands (20m (17m) 15m (12m) 10m) as now. 
Just put up a new (rather short) "long wire" antenna too. But,
whatever the "Solar Activity", something is working! 😉

https://www.qsl.net/4x4xm/HF-Propagation.htm#Reg2
 

[RT65CB-SWL]

On 15/10/2023 at 15:02, Macavity said:

Further aside: I don't think I have ever heard quite so much activity
on the HF amateur bands (20m (17m) 15m (12m) 10m) as now. 
Just put up a new (rather short) "long wire" antenna too. But,
whatever the "Solar Activity", something is working! 😉

https://www.qsl.net/4x4xm/HF-Propagation.htm#Reg2
 

Early morning is good if you want to hear trans-Atlantic HF airband comms too! 

I have to make do with a random length wire antenna running through the attic/loft and a 'slinky' antenna [with a random length of wire soldered to the ‘slinky’ and phono plug, then connected to my RX with appropriate connectors] from ceiling height in the bed-sit room and the earth connected to the cold water pipe in the airing cupboard. My RX are a Yaesu FRG-7 and a Realistic DX-440.

Edited November 9, 2023 by RT65CB-SWL

[Macavity]

14 hours ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

I have to make do with a random length wire antenna running through the attic/loft and a 'slinky' antenna [with a random length of wire] from ceiling height in the bedsit room and the earth connected to the cold water pipe in the airing cupboard. My RX are a Yaesu FRG-7 and a Realistic DX-390.

Heheh. I did some "research". (Random) Long (short!) Wires can have "better" lengths...
for e.g. Amateur Bands! I'll have to dig out this stuff! Radio Astronomy's First Cousin etc. 😁

Locally, the VHF/UHF bands have a fair number of "novice" class operators. But I see 23cm
(close to Hydrogen Line) is NOT accessible to them? There are 2m/70cm repeaters locally.

Aside: I did a "factory reset" on my SDRUno software, I sense it works rather better now! 😉
With the *plethora* of controls, I suspect I twiddled something I should not have? lol

Edited October 16, 2023 by Macavity

[athornett]

If you are interested in hydrogen line galactic radio astronomy and want to map the Milky Way or determine its rotation curve to demonstrate dark matter then this is easy to do - I only started recently but getting some good results see my website www.astronomy.me.uk

I am using an old military array - these are very rare but many people are achieving similar results with a homemade "cantenna" which is am aerial made from an old food or paint can or piece of aluminium bent into tube or plastic tube with kitchen foil around it!

The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers in the USA have also developed the Scope in a Box concept which builds hydrogen  line radio telescope for £100 or so from components you buy yourself from Amazon.

Apart from hydrogen line take a look at British Astronomical Association website for information on meteor observing, Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance detection (solar flares) and then there is also the Itty Bitty Radio Telescope which is old satellite dish plus £15 satellite finder plus £5 bias tee plus power adapter = radio telescope to observe the sun.

Andy

 

[Macavity]

My idea of testing a YAGI on 23cm waned (with supply!) But Interesting, that commentators
feel "ANY dish" would be better than a Yagi etc. Better screened from "ground effects" etc.
But, it remains a vague ambition to just HEAR (and identify) *something* "above" 70cm. 😁

There is a 23cm Amateur TV repeater near? Whether it is line-of-sight, I'll have yet to check.
There are HUGE signals on (nominal) 23 cms Band. Quite WHAT these are... "who knows"! 😛

 

[athornett]

I have seen people succeed with Yagi antennae at 1420.405Mhz.

In my experience these observations are very sensitive to how well tuned the aerials are to this frequency.

The obvious question with your Yago is if you point it at Milky Way and then away again what happens to this strong signal you describe.

Also what happens if.you replace aerial with 50 Ohm dummy load?

Also what software you using and what SDR or other radio?

Are.you calibrating the signal using dummy load or other metho

Andy

[athornett]

It is difficult to identify Milky Way at 1420.405Mhz without calibration.

[athornett]

I must point out my experience is limited - I only started 1420MHz radio observing recently!!!

[wxsatuser]

On 15/10/2023 at 15:02, Macavity said:

Further aside: I don't think I have ever heard quite so much activity
on the HF amateur bands (20m (17m) 15m (12m) 10m) as now. 
Just put up a new (rather short) "long wire" antenna too. But,
whatever the "Solar Activity", something is working! 😉

https://www.qsl.net/4x4xm/HF-Propagation.htm#Reg2
 

Last weekend was pretty good on ten metres, got into the Maldives and South Korea.
Twelve metres was roaring as well, got into Botswana for a new country
Twenty metres was excellent to, got into Australia, New Zealand, USA and Japan.

Conditions do vary quite a bit as the Sun gets it act together.

BTW I run a maximum of 100watts of FT8/FT4 to a cobweb 5band antenna about 24feet agl.

[Macavity]

I should also point out that I have not TRIED out a "Yagi Idea"... It may never
get off the ground! (sic) Aside: I did note that this supplier has some left? 😉
https://www.hamradio.co.uk/comet-cya-1216e-1-9m-1200mhz-16-element-yagi-pd-14061