SUSU Antenna Array

From SUWS-wiki

This page describe the plan to build a new antenna array to mount back on the mast on the West Building (outside the Stag's Head). This would be of benefit to SUWS as well as other societies listed below.

Facebook Group

Current Status

  • Currently in purchasing and refurbishment stage as well as final planning on assembly and connections

Interested Parties

  • SUWS (us) - General Amateur Radio operation / tracking high altitude balloons.
  • Space Flight Society
    • Interested in helping us.
    • Interested in tracking satellite / high altitude balloons
  • SUSUtv
    • Interested in directional Wi-Fi for live campus broadcast
  • Surge
    • Interested in properly fixing their FM antenna
  • Astronomy
    • Interested in 1GHz-2GHz (?) radio astronomy.
  • ECS Sensor Network Research
    • 868Mhz omni for sensor network node
  • There is still room for other interest should there be any

Antenna/Feature Ideas

Confirmed

  • HF beam dipole
  • triband 2m/70cm/6m omni
  • 70cm+2m on dual-axis rotator
  • SURGE FM broadcast antenna
  • SOWN Wi-Fi @ coordinates
  • 868 sensor net antenna on spur

Sensible

  • 23cm on spur
  • radio telescope (astrosoc)
  • monitoring node (temp/wind ect)

Current Plan

From top of the mast to bottom.

  • 6m/2m/70cm collinear (AR+satellites+HABs)
  • Spur bar
    • FM Broadcast antenna (SURGE)
    • 2.4GHz omni (sensor networks)
    • 868 MHz omni (sensor networks)
  • HF Dipole (AR)
  • Azimuth Rotator

Tasks

Alocated

  • Create CAD diagram of mast and ALL parts
    • Tyler

Unalocated

  • Get permission from susu regarding rack for room and wall mounting
  • Check with E&F
    • lighting protection
    • wall mounting
    • planning
  • Calculate coax lengths
  • source coax connectors
  • Finish HF dipole refurbishment
    • Design new crossbeam
    • find missing parts

Kit

Arrived and reimbursed

  • Triband Vertical
    • Link [2]
    • Price: £87.95
    • Date ordered: 2015-04-18
    • Date arrived:2015-04-21
    • Ordered by: TylerWard
    • Budget: mast


  • Lithium Grease 500g
    • Ebay, Datasheet
    • Price £7.95
    • Date ordered: 2015-04-20
    • Date arrived:2015-04-23
    • Ordered by: TylerWard
    • Budget: mast


  • SSD for APU
    • Link [[3]]
    • Price £34.81
    • Date ordered:
    • Date arrived:2015-05-11
    • Ordered by: ECS
    • Budget: ECS
  • 868 Antenna
    • Link [[4]]
    • price £23.44
    • Date ordered: 2015-05-07
    • Date arrived:2015-05-14
    • Ordered by: Kirk
    • Budget: mountain sensing
  • Horizontal mast section
    • Needs 32-43mm diameter
    • Link [5]
    • Price
      • New: £21.95 (Inc. VAT)
      • Find in cupboard: Free
    • Budget: N/A
  • 2m crossed yagi
    • Link [[6]]
    • Price: £89.95 + £4.99
    • Date ordered: 2014-04-18
    • Date arrived: 2015-05-15
    • Ordered by: TylerWard
    • Budget: mast
  • Seperation kit G5400
    • to mount the elevation on a pole
    • Price: Free (Thanks Yaesu)
    • Date arrived:2015-05-13
    • Date arrived:2015-05-15
    • Budget: N/A

Arrived awaiting reimbursment

  • Dual axis Rotator
    • Link [7]
    • Price: £40
    • Ordered By: M0NSA
    • Budget: mast


Arrived Requires Attention

  • HF Dipole Beam
    • Refurbishment required
    • Replacement parts will be required


  • Fast Ethernet 16 port managed switch (with gigabit uplink)
    • Requires extracting from rack in B32 L3 North server room.

Ordered

  • Ubiquity Powerbeam PBE-M5-300 and accessories
    • Ubiquity Powerbeam PBE-M5-300 [8] - £66.46 (inc. VAT)
    • Ubiquiti UK Cloverleaf Power Cable RB-290 - [9] - £3.00 (inc. VAT)
    • Total price: £69.46 (inc. VAT) + approx. £12 P&P = £81.46
    • To be approved/ordered: Ordered 2015-05-15
    • Budget: Tim's Services Rendered

Approved

  • 70cm Yagi
    • Link [[10]]
    • Price: £52.96 + £10
    • Date to be ordered: ASAP (Waiting on ML&S order)
    • Budget: mast
  • Screws For Rotator (M6*20)
    • Link [11]
    • Price £5.03
    • To be approved/ordered: ASAP
    • Budget: mast
  • Loctite 243 (for securing the bolts)
    • [12]
    • Price 7.76+vat
    • To be approved/ordered: ASAP
    • Budget: mast
  • 0.5in x 1 metre long aluminium tube (1.6mm thick)
    • Replacement for broken part of HF dipole
    • Link [13]
    • Price £7.38 (inc. VAT)
    • Date to be approved/ordered: Approve ASAP. (May check if anything else needs to be ordered from same supplier before ordering).
    • Budget: Mast


Awaiting Approval

Planned but not ready for approval

  • Vertical mast section
    • Needs 38-63mm diameter
    • Link [14]
    • Price £52.95 (Inc. VAT)
    • Date to be ordered: Later (confirm appropriate length)
    • Budget: mast
  • Mast Thrust Bearing
    • Yaesu GS-065
    • Barenco
    • Price: £47.61 (Ex VAT)
    • Date to be ordered: Later (confirm wall mounting)
    • Budget: unknown
  • Rotator and Bearing Wall Mounts
    • Yaesu BE645Y, Pair including both rotator and bearing bracket
    • Barenco
    • Price: £59.23 (Ex VAT)
    • Date to be ordered: Later (confirm wall mounting)
    • Budget: unknown
  • Rack Cupboard
    • 21u 600mm Deep Data Cabinet/Data Rack
    • Link [15]
    • Price £180 (Inc. VAT)
    • Date to be ordered: Later (pending susu approval).
    • Budget: unknown

Parts known to be needed

  • Extra Mounting hardware
  • Internal patch panel parts
  • Parts for HF dipole
    • Paint
    • wirewool/sandpaper
  • Coax parts
    • coax
    • connectors
    • Per Antenna Feed (5 required)
      • 2x weatherproof Flex-8 Connectors
    • Per Room Feed (5 required, 8 ideally)
      • 1x Weatherproof RG-213 Connector
      • 1x indoor RG-213 Connector
  • connection plate
    • ?* weatherproof N through connectors [[17]]
    • ?* N blanking plates
    • Mounting frame (suggest stainless or aluminium)
    • Connector box [[18]]
      • 2* ethercon panel connectors [[19]]
      • 2* XRL7 male panel [[20]]
      • 2* XLR7 female panel [[21]]
      • 2* ethercon cable [[22]]
      • 2* XLR7 female cable [[23]]
      • 2* XLR7 male cable [[24]]
      • potting compound [[25]] / lots of silica gell
      • D connector mounting plate [[26]]
      • weatherproofing ans sealant [[27]]

Coax Info

Information sourced from Coax Data and ML&S

Prices sourced from ML&S inc. VAT

Diameter RF Loss Max Power Handling Cost Datasheet
mm dB/100ft @ 400MHz W @ 50MHz (1:1 SWR) /25m Reel
RG-58 5 10.5 450W £20.70
RG-213 10.3 4.5 1500W £32.25 http://www.romkatel.ro/cataloage/pdf/eupen/RG213.pdf
Ultraflex 7 7.3 3.59 1820W £29.70 http://www.messi.it/dati/immagini/RGAC7PLUS-All1_EN.pdf

Note: Connectors for Ultraflex 7 are uncommon, and so may add significantly to the expense.


Lightning Precautions

  • Talk to E&F about:
    • Current mast situation
    • Building requirements
  • Can we rely on lightning path through the rotator body?
  • Kit will be toast whatever happens, priority is mitigating fire risk.

Static Protection

  • Resistive bleeders on all coax