Radio telescopes

The RAEGE radio telescopes are azimuth/elevation turning head telescopes, reaching azimuth and elevation slew speeds of 12°/s and 6°/s, respectively. The optical design is based on a 13.2-m ring focus reflector. In its basic configuration, the observation frequency is in the range of 2–40 GHz that can be enhanced up to 100 GHz by using additional options.

The telescope is mounted on a concrete tower, which consists of two levels. The ground floor level is for electrical cabinets, and the first level accommodates the azimuth cable twister. The telescope is fully steerable. There is an azimuth axis to rotate the antenna structure along the vertical axis and an elevation axis to rotate the reflector along the horizontal axis. Furthermore, a hexapod positions the subreflector. The antenna is equipped with two computer control systems, one for the main axis (ACU) and one for the hexapod (HCU).

The main figures of the radio telescope are:

• Azimuth range: +/- 270°
• Elevation range: 0 +100
• Main reflector diameter: 13.2 m
• Subreflector diameter: 1.55 m
• Distance main reflector vertex from elevation axis: 3.270 m
• Max. Azimuth slewing speed: 12°/s
• Max. Elevation slewing speed: 6°/s

The optical configuration of the radio telescope is Ring Focus, which provides a high efficiency antenna with no reflection back to the feed and no blockage of the subreflector.

For geodetic telescopes, it is essential to measure accurately the position of the intersection of the azimuth and elevation axes. Therefore, a concrete pillar is installed at the centre of the telescope tower, allowing the installation of a measurement system to be located at the intersection of axes and visible from the outside through openings.