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0.1 to 40MHz receiver now in space
Date :
12 /
01 /
2019
Author :
WIA
There have been many news reports recently of the Chinese landing of lunar Chang’e-4 on the dark side of the moon.
Before this landing the Chinese sent up a satellite called Queqiao to relay the signals from Chang’e-4 on the side of moon that earth cannot see. On this satellite mission there was space for a MF/HF receiver and antennas.
The receiver and antennas were developed by astronomer Marc Klein Wolt's team at Radboud University in partnership with Dutch radio astronomy organization ASTRON and private company Innovative Solution in Space, the NCLE – Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer.
The NCLE consist of three, five-meter-long (16-ft) carbon fibre antennas and software defined radio and data processing electronics.
As amateurs we use the ionosphere to refract or bend MF and HF signals to facilitate long distance or DX contacts. The ionosphere also works in reverse blocking the reception of MF/HF signals from space and so we do not hear many extra-terrestrial sources.
This receiver is capable of covering 0.1 to 40MHz and they are looking initially to detect bright emissions from the Sun and Jupiter. It is mostly likely there are many other low frequency transmitters out there as well that will be heard.
Link
(Summarised from an article on the New Atlas Website and image sourced from CNSA/CAS)
Page Last Updated: Saturday 12 January 2019 at 8:17 hours by Justin Giles-clark
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