-Mount
Radio astronomy can be done both by day and
night time and even when cloudy, since the 1420
MHz radio waves are not blocked by clouds. For
this reason, in order to take advantage of this
opportunity we have designed the WP-100
altazimuth mount, weatherproof, that allows you
to leave the SPIDER 300A radio telescope
permanently installed outside. Equipped with
automatic tracking and goto system controlled by
the radio telescope software, it allows you to
frame with great precision the Universe radio
sources and move the antenna with a continuous
and precise tracking. The WP-100 mount has
100 Kg load capacity and a very high precision
pointing and tracking (encoders read resolution
0,0015°). Thanks to the optional weather station
integrated with RadioUniversePRO control software, it can be also equipped with a special electronic
security system which "parks" the antenna pointing the Zenith (the vertical position) when the wind
exceeds 50 Km/h, so that the radio telescope moves and is safety locked in the position that offers the
lower resistance to the wind.
-Pier
The WEB300-5 antenna, for its large diameter, can generate a
big effort on the ground and, considering the weight of the
WP-100 mount, it requires a very firm and robust anchoring
system. The new C106-HEAVY pier offers all of these features,
being in the meantime designed to keep the SPIDER 300A
radio telescope permanently installed safety on the field.
The radio telescope and the C106-HEAVY need to be installed
on a reinforced concrete base, on which the base of the
column is fixed by means of special high strength bolts.
Along with the installation and operation manuals for the
radio telescope, an example of concrete base design (that the
user has to prepare to install the SPIDER 300A and that he has
to verify based on terrain type of the radio telescope
installation location) is supplied.
