Description
Nowadays, Thailand’s Earth and Space Science curriculum includes the study of astronomy across various wavelengths and space technologies. However, most teachers use lecture-based learning rather than activity-based learning, resulting in a lack of interest from students. Additionally, due to the high cost of radio equipment, radio astronomy instructional materials have not been well developed.
For this reason, we are interested in building a small radio telescope using a Ku-band TV dish with a diameter of 35 cm, installed on an equatorial mount for easier Sun tracking. We use an LNBF (Low Noise Block Downconverter Feedhorn) to guide the signal through an RG6 coaxial cable to a satellite finder, which displays the intensity of the signal. Since the intensity of radio signals is directly proportional to voltage, we use an Arduino UNO R3 and Python to measure the voltage and convert it into digital values, create a strip chart, and export the data to a .CSV file. This exact build costs around 850 THB or 28 USD, and the components used are easy to find on online marketplaces.
From the development and testing process, we found that the satellite finder can visualize the difference between strong and weak signals, but the Arduino cannot yet display an accurate strip chart and data. In the future, we plan to use an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) to convert the analog signal to a digital signal, improving signal reading on the Arduino UNO R3. We also plan to create a manual, test different methods of data collection, and allow students to tryout the system, provide feedback, and help refine the equipment further.
