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Surplus PrimeStar Dishes => Radio Telescope Array?
Sean Clifford asks: "Anyone
have suggestions on how to get started setting up an amateur radio
telescope array using a ton of old PrimeStar dishes? I've read a
couple of articles like this
one, that makes this idea seem good in theory. Adapting some gear
for RVs to steer the dishes should be simple, but does anyone know of
good open source software for controlling them? And *nix software
for collecting, filtering, and analyzing the data would be sweet
too. I've got a couple of hundred dishes in the back yard at work
that are screaming for some type of use other than recycling. I'm
already adapting a couple for a wireless network, but would like to
see what I can do with the rest."
The SARA, ARRL or DX zone. You've probably done the google search for "amateur radio telescope" /. should post, I doubt there will be many posts but who cares. I want thought provoking or interesting questions. In short I want questions that make me go and hunt down some ideas.
Given that you have the hardware it would seem you need to find someone who has the skills to design the thing. My guess is that your local ham or astrology club would have people who have the knowledge and desire to help. Do you have a university close by, prehaps they might want to take it on as a grad project. But my first port of call would be SARA.
IMHO this is the sort of question that