SUSU Antenna Array

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)

• Elevation rotator
  • 2m Crossed Yagi (AR+satellites)
    • eg. 8-ele Tonna
  • 70cm Crossed Yagi (AR+satellites+HABs)
    • eg. 19-ele Tonna (probably too long)
  • 5GHz Wifi Dish (SOWN+SUSUTV)
    • eg. 802.11ac Ubiquiti PowerBeam

• HF Dipole (AR)

• Azimuth Rotator

Kit

Arrived and reimbursed

• Triband Vertical
  • Link [1]
  • 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

Arrived awaiting reimbursment

• Dual axis Rotator
  • Link [2]
  • Price: £40
  • Ordered By: M0NSA
  • Budget: mast

Ordered

• 2m crossed yagi
  • Link [[3]]
  • Price: £89.95 + £4.99
  • Date ordered: 2014-04-18
  • Ordered by: TylerWard
  • Budget: mast
  • Notes:
    • Reimbursed
    • awaiting replacement

• SSD for APU
  • Link [[4]]
  • Price £34.81
  • Date to be ordered: ???
  • Ordered by: ECS
  • Budget: ECS

Approved

• 70cm Yagi
  • Link [[5]]
  • Price: £52.96 + £10
  • Date to be ordered: ASAP (Waiting on ML&S order)
  • Budget: mast

• Screws For Rotator (M6*20)
  • Link [6]
  • Price £5.03
  • To be approved/ordered: ASAP
  • Budget: mast

• Loctite 243 (for securing the bolts)
  • [7]
  • Price 7.76+vat
  • To be approved/ordered: ASAP
  • Budget: mast

Awaiting Approval

• 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: ASAP (It has been agreed this is of better and sufficient beam width. No radome for 300mm models)
  • Budget: mast

Planned but not ready for approval

• Vertical mast section
  • Needs 38-63mm diameter
  • Link [10]
  • Price £52.95 (Inc. VAT)
  • Date to be ordered: Later (confirm appropriate length)
  • Budget: mast

• Horizontal mast section
  • Needs 32-43mm diameter
  • Link [11]
  • Price £21.95 (Inc. VAT)
  • Date to be ordered: Later (confirm appropriate pole thickness with Waters and Stanton)
  • Budget: mast

Parts known to be needed

• Extra Mounting hardware
• Rack cupboard

• Dual axis Rotator Parts SUSU_Antenna_Array/rotator
  • 2 Axis pole mount
  • Rotator to pole bracket (we are short one)
    • potentially [12]
    • alternatively a new wall bracket and bearing.
• Internal patch panel parts
  • panel [13]

• Parts for HF dipole
  • Paint
  • wirewool/sandpaper
  • Balaun

• Coax parts
  • coax
  • connectors

• connection plate
  • ?* weatherproof N through connectors [[14]]
  • ?* N blanking plates
  • Mounting frame (suggest stainless or aluminium)
  • Connector box [[15]]
    • 2* ethercon panel connectors [[16]]
    • 2* XRL7 male panel [[17]]
    • 2* XLR7 female panel [[18]]
    • 2* ethercon cable [[19]]
    • 2* XLR7 female cable [[20]]
    • 2* XLR7 male cable [[21]]
    • potting compound [[22]] / lots of silica gell
    • D connector mounting plate [[23]]
    • weatherproofing ans sealant [[24]]

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.