ETA: Array Construction

Overview: Construction of the ETA dipole station at PARI.

Maintainer: Steve Ellingson (Virginia Tech)
This page is http://www.ece.vt.edu/swe/eta/array/
Last Update: November 5, 2005 UT 1000

Specification: ETA Array Specification (PDF), S.W. Ellingson, August 21, 2005. Talks about the site plan and array geometry. As of Sep 13, a few details have changed but most is still intact.

In reverse chronological order.

First ETA antenna stand is completed! November 6, 2005

Completed dipole/active balun assembly before installation on an antenna stand. November 6, 2005

Attachment of the dipole arms to the top cap, shortly before being slathered in silicone to mitigate moisture penetration. November 6, 2005

Note how we have been careful to select ''NSF'' hardware ;) November 5, 2005

Assembling an antenna stand, which involves attaching four aluminum dipole arms and an active balun cartridge to a plastic cap. November 5, 2005

Measuring cable loss by injecting a signal at the antenna stand which is measured in the electronics building. November 5, 2005

Cables pulled to egress panel. Black cables are RF, white are power. November 5, 2005

Slack box - space installed in-line near the outriggers to accomodate cable slack. Consists of a plastic cooler buried up to the lid, with a wooden enclosure to prevent damage from the sun and marauding lawnmowers. October 27, 2005

Part of the shipment of coaxial cables from Cable X-Perts. The core array is all RG-58 (lengths on the order of 100 ft). The north outrigger is about 250 ft of RG-8X, and east outrigger is about 500 ft of LMR-400. Everything is terminated in Type-N connectors. Three coax cables run to each site: 2 polarizations plus a spare. October 11, 2005

Conduit from all 12 antenna stands coming together at the west wall of Building 17. October 11, 2005

Completed installation of conduit for the core array. October 11, 2005

Detail of two core array conduits emerging from underground. This is 1.5-in PVC. October 11, 2005

North outrigger location (PARI 12-m radome in background). No small effort to make this location flat! October 11, 2005

Completed installation of conduit leading around the radome of the PARI 12-m up to the east outrigger. This run is about 500 ft end-to-end. October 11, 2005

Completed installation of conduit leading to the north outrigger stand. This run is about 200 ft end-to-end. October 11, 2005

The core array positions marked out with stakes, with Building 17 in the background. September 10, 2005

The future site of the core array. August 31, 2005

The future site of the east outrigger. (No illusion: it's on a pretty good slant.) August 31, 2005
View of the West Array Area, including the core array site and Building 17, from the access road. Gives some sense of how the site is at the bottom of a natural bowl formed by the surrounding terrain. August 10, 2005

	First ETA antenna stand is completed! November 6, 2005
	Completed dipole/active balun assembly before installation on an antenna stand. November 6, 2005
	Attachment of the dipole arms to the top cap, shortly before being slathered in silicone to mitigate moisture penetration. November 6, 2005
	Note how we have been careful to select ''NSF'' hardware ;) November 5, 2005
	Assembling an antenna stand, which involves attaching four aluminum dipole arms and an active balun cartridge to a plastic cap. November 5, 2005
	Measuring cable loss by injecting a signal at the antenna stand which is measured in the electronics building. November 5, 2005
	Cables pulled to egress panel. Black cables are RF, white are power. November 5, 2005
	Slack box - space installed in-line near the outriggers to accomodate cable slack. Consists of a plastic cooler buried up to the lid, with a wooden enclosure to prevent damage from the sun and marauding lawnmowers. October 27, 2005
	Part of the shipment of coaxial cables from Cable X-Perts. The core array is all RG-58 (lengths on the order of 100 ft). The north outrigger is about 250 ft of RG-8X, and east outrigger is about 500 ft of LMR-400. Everything is terminated in Type-N connectors. Three coax cables run to each site: 2 polarizations plus a spare. October 11, 2005
	Conduit from all 12 antenna stands coming together at the west wall of Building 17. October 11, 2005
	Completed installation of conduit for the core array. October 11, 2005
	Detail of two core array conduits emerging from underground. This is 1.5-in PVC. October 11, 2005
	North outrigger location (PARI 12-m radome in background). No small effort to make this location flat! October 11, 2005
	Completed installation of conduit leading around the radome of the PARI 12-m up to the east outrigger. This run is about 500 ft end-to-end. October 11, 2005
	Completed installation of conduit leading to the north outrigger stand. This run is about 200 ft end-to-end. October 11, 2005
	The core array positions marked out with stakes, with Building 17 in the background. September 10, 2005
	The future site of the core array. August 31, 2005
	The future site of the east outrigger. (No illusion: it's on a pretty good slant.) August 31, 2005
	View of the West Array Area, including the core array site and Building 17, from the access road. Gives some sense of how the site is at the bottom of a natural bowl formed by the surrounding terrain. August 10, 2005