What is a Pin Diode?
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Absolute workhorse of RF switching. WHAT IS A PIN DIODE? A PIN diode is a semiconductor diode with three layers: The middle layer is a thick, undoped (intrinsic) region. That…
Radio Astronomy
What is a Dicke switch in radio astronomy?
WHAT IS A DICKE SWITCH? A Dicke switch is a rapid RF switch used in radio astronomy to reduce receiver gain drift. It switches quickly between: This technique was invented…
What are professional radio astronomy dishes made of?
Professional radio astronomy dishes are engineered for electrical reflectivity, structural rigidity, thermal stability, and low weight. The exact construction depends on frequency range (long-wavelength vs millimetre work), but most large…
Spectrum Lab spectrum analyser software when I update the horizontal speed settings on the plotter it does not change the speed on the plot
If the horizontal speed in Spectrum Lab isn’t changing on the scrolling plot, it’s usually because the display timing is controlled somewhere else. In Spectrum Lab, the time axis speed…
First light LRO VLF Detection system based on direct input from aerial into sound card and Spectrum Lab software 14/2/2026 and demonstration that 23.4 kHz reception best with aerial pointed in different direction to frequencies of other VLF transmitters detected in UK
Settings on plotter in Spectrum Lab software – the title is the frequency of the VLF transmitter observed in kHz: Plot from first light at LRO on Spectrum Lab –…
VLF Settings for Spectrum Lab based on John Berman’s successful implementation of VLF/SID monitoring using this software 14/2/2025
https://www.astronomy.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/John-Bermans-own-working-Spectrum-Lab-VLF-config-6-feb-2026.zip https://www.astronomy.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SID-Station-using-Spectrum-Lab-1.docx https://www.astronomy.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Spectrum-Lab-Manual.pdf https://www.astronomy.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Timing-errors-in-Spectrum-Lab-140226.pdf
Rules of thumb in constructing hydrogen line feeds for amateur radio telescopes
The “rules of thumb”: c/o Ed Harfmann: Foil coating waveguide (if making waveguide with aluminium foil) wrinkled – Is it more than 1/20th of a wavelength? 21 cm/20 = 1.05…
How to test Nooelec SAWBird H1 LNA using a NanoVNA
Following information is from Alex Pettit: