Radio Astronomy Section

Click here to visit the ASV Radio Astronomy Section Yahoo Group. Live observation data is available from the LMRO Weather Station

The Radio Astronomy Section is over 25 years old and conducts regular monthly meetings at the Society`s clubrooms on the third Monday night of the month at 8pm. These meetings have an average attendance of 8. Members show strong interests in Radio Astronomy, electronics, computing, RF instrumentation, Cosmology, Geomagnetism, the SKA and all things Astronomical!

Syllabus items have included the following topics:

• History of Radioastronomy
• Quasars
• Sensitivity of radiotelescopes
• Pulsars
• Radio sky vs optical sky
• Noise
• Jupiter radio-observing
• On Line research with other Observatories around the world
• Open Days at Parkes Radio Dish
• Seti
• Drake Equation
• Radio-telescope mounts
• Stepper motors
• Update on activities at Heathcote
• Construction of a RF Screen Room inside the Shipping Container

The section has provided guest speakers to present radioastronomy topics to Monash University, ASV Monthly Meeting, the LaTrobe Valley Astronomical Society and the Eastern and Mountain District Radio Club, Moorabbin Amateur Radio Club and The North East Radio Group the Gippsland Gate Radio and Electronics Club and the Astronomical Society of Bendigo a presentation at the 2011 and 2013 VASTROC conventions and in August 2013 at ITEE Engineers Australia.

For over 20 years Russell Ward VK3DRW has conducted the ASV Astronomy radio Broadcast on the 80 meter Amateur Radio Band on a frequency of 3541KHz every Friday night at 10 pm covering most of Australia using the society's radio callsign VK3EKH. In 2009 Russell handed the microphone over to Clint Jeffrey (VK3CSJ) and continues to run the station from the studios at Narre Warren South. Information about the Station can be found at www.qrz.com/db/vk3ekh

Projects undertaken by the section have included:

• Jupiter Shoemaker-Levy comet radio observations 1994
• Jupiter - Io storm emission observations on going.
• Meteor scatter observations
• Design of our own 20 MHz radiometer
• Blackbody observations of the Moon at 12 GHz.
• Design of a dedicated receiver for reception of the Friday nights ASV Broadcast.
• Spectrometer for observating the Sun.
• Spectrometer for observating decametric emissions from Jupiter.
• A Seismometer
• An All Sky Camera
• Contruction of a 28 foot (8.5 m) Parabolic Dish 2013/14

Long Term Projects:

• Erection and instrumentation of the 8.5 m radio antenna at the ASV Heathcote property in a fully automated steerable alt-az configuration.
• Interferometery at 1420 MHz Hydrogen Line.
• Pulsar and Quasar detection.
• Low Frequency Array

All observations by our Radio Observatory are displayed on the Leon Mow Radio Observatory pages

Click here to join ASV Radio Astronomy Yahoo Group

Clint Jeffrey - Section Director 20/7/13

You can email Clint 24/7 at radioastronomy@asv.org.au