DynaTrack
HARDWARE
A recent test was conducted to determine the ability of the 16” Meade pedestal to track LEO satellites while fitted with the SRS inflatable antenna array frame. Four circular plastic sheets were taped to the frame in place of the inflatable antennae. This was done to prevent potential damage to the antennae, and to simulate the surface area that would be subject to any wind loading.
RECENT TESTING
Ground Based X-Band Array
The 16” pedestal was fitted with an 8” Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube with spotter. The optical tube was hard-mounted to the pedestal arms, and was used to align the pedestal and to optically track the satellites. At 11:24 PM on August 7th, 2005 SAC-C, our primary target, was tracked and imaged optically, proving that the combined hardware would be capable of smooth slewing and accurate tracking.
DynaTrack