What is the highest radio frequency used for astronomy? Is it 3,438 GHz?

[Rich Grise]

I have even seen optics and electronics combined in an experimental
Road radar for car control from Philips, radar output was a very small
horn antenna connected to a wave guide, and in front of that they used a
plexyglass condensor lens to make a narrow beam, like you do with light.
Apparently those mm waves liked that plastic lens just fine.

Now that you mention it, I saw something on the same principle once, but
it was half a ping-pong ball filled with paraffin.

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Radium]

Radium

As the article suggests, higher frequencies are considered as being in the
infra red wavelengths of light, so 3,438 GHz can be considered to be at the
upper limits of radio frequency astronomy.

Visible light, ultra violet light, x-rays and gamma rays are all
electromagnetic waves at higher frequencies and are also used for astronomy
observations and experiments. Satellites are generally used to observe in
the ultra violet, x-ray and gamma ray spectrums as these wave lengths are
largely absorbed by the earth's atmosphere.

Remember, there are no strict cut off frequencies where one type of
electromagnetic wave becomes another type. Radio merges into infra red which
merges into visible light, ultra violet, x-rays and so on. Any limits are
purely arbitary ones applied by humans in order to categorise the way in
which electromagnetic waves of a certain frequency can be expected to
behave.

Look at a colour palette. It is easy to pick out the primary colours.
Everyone who isn't colour blind can pick out red, blue, green, yellow etc.
But where do you draw the line to decide where red becomes green, blue or
yellow? The colours slowly merge from one to another just as the
characteristics of radio waves change as frequency increases.

Mike G0ULI

Sorry, I meant to ask whether 3,438 GHz is the highest radio frequency
used to receive audio signals from outer space. I should have made my
question more specific. Radio-astronomers study sounds from the sun as
well as visual data.

I wonder if a space station with a 3,438 GHz AM receiver could pick up
any extremely-distant audio signals between 20 to 20,000 Hz [from
magnetars, gamma-ray-bursts, supernovae and other high-energy but
cosmic objects] after demodulating the 3,438 GHz AM carrier wave.

 

[msg]

Sorry, I meant to ask whether 3,438 GHz is the highest radio frequency
used to receive audio signals from outer space.

I thought perhaps the O.P. was from Europe or the U.K. and that the
comma in the above numeric was a substitution for a decimal point, but
alas the posting IP is from So. Cal. ....

Regards,

Michael

 

[Mike Kaliski]

Radium

As the article suggests, higher frequencies are considered as being in
the
infra red wavelengths of light, so 3,438 GHz can be considered to be at
the
upper limits of radio frequency astronomy.

Visible light, ultra violet light, x-rays and gamma rays are all
electromagnetic waves at higher frequencies and are also used for
astronomy
observations and experiments. Satellites are generally used to observe in
the ultra violet, x-ray and gamma ray spectrums as these wave lengths are
largely absorbed by the earth's atmosphere.

Remember, there are no strict cut off frequencies where one type of
electromagnetic wave becomes another type. Radio merges into infra red
which
merges into visible light, ultra violet, x-rays and so on. Any limits are
purely arbitary ones applied by humans in order to categorise the way in
which electromagnetic waves of a certain frequency can be expected to
behave.

Look at a colour palette. It is easy to pick out the primary colours.
Everyone who isn't colour blind can pick out red, blue, green, yellow
etc.
But where do you draw the line to decide where red becomes green, blue or
yellow? The colours slowly merge from one to another just as the
characteristics of radio waves change as frequency increases.

Mike G0ULI

Sorry, I meant to ask whether 3,438 GHz is the highest radio frequency
used to receive audio signals from outer space. I should have made my
question more specific. Radio-astronomers study sounds from the sun as
well as visual data.

I wonder if a space station with a 3,438 GHz AM receiver could pick up
any extremely-distant audio signals between 20 to 20,000 Hz [from
magnetars, gamma-ray-bursts, supernovae and other high-energy but
cosmic objects] after demodulating the 3,438 GHz AM carrier wave.

Radium

You are referring to "the music of the spheres". The random noises generated
by very distant quasars, galaxies, supernovae and other objects.

Yes it probably could and you would hear all sorts of weird pops, whistles
and background noise. Just like at pretty much any other frequencies you
care to monitor.

Mike G0ULI

 

[Al in Dallas]

Let's hope, super cheap, super efficient solar panels would be great!
Bye, bye power company ...

I think you need to consider how many watts of sunlight fall on an
acre.

 

[Eric F. Richards]

I think you need to consider how many watts of sunlight fall on an
acre.

Since people who say things like that don't bother to actually know
how to calculate the answer to that, the recoverable solar energy per
acre is 5.25 MW.

If your solar collection is only 10% efficient -- far below what is
common today -- you'd still get 525 kW / acre.

Since covering land with solar panels is not necessarily the best or
most aesthetic or most socially acceptible use of land, consider what
could be done with south-facing rooftops and solar shingles like those
made by http://www.uni-solar.com/

 

[Jasen Betts]

I am curious here. At some point you have to switch from metallic conductors
and antennas to lenses and other optics. Any idea what the highest frequency
RF amplifier works at?

I've heard of X-ray lasers.

Bye.
Jasen

 

[RHF]

I've heard of X-ray lasers.

Bye.
Jasen

I am Hearing a Talking House on 1670 kHz
with the Voice of "Randy the Radio Realitor"
-aka- Randy Steigler => http://www.randysteiger.com/

 

[[email protected]]

I am Hearing a Talking House on 1670 kHz
with the Voice of "Randy the Radio Realitor"
-aka- Randy Steigler =>http://www.randysteiger.com/
.
Re/Max Del Oro -in- San Luis Obispo County, CAhttp://www.deloroproperties.com/
Speaking of Astronomical - SFH : 3Br+2Ba ~ $385K
.
Twain Harte, CA 95383 -USA- ~ RHF
.
.
. .

This will be buried inside a completely unrelated thread, but there
are lots of "low power",
Part 15 100mW, devices in the MW band. There is a Military Graveyard
just about 15
miles south of me that has such a transmitter for "self guided
tours". I have seen/received
several "talking houses" including a solar powered one that I was very
tempted to visit
under the cover of dark and appropriate for my own use.

I have seen a few billboards with these also. Down toward Tennessee
the big firworks
outlets tended to use them about 8 years ago. I don't know if they are
still in use cause
I don't get down there these days.

Regarding my hunt for the UNID 1640 station rebroadcasting A NOAA
weather stream,
I had assumed by content it was at or near Cave Run Lake, near
Morehead KY. But we
visited there Friday and no signal. I talked to the Corp of Engineers
and they suggested
we check in Jackson. So off we went. As we approached Jackson it was
clear it was
not there. But I decided to check the Jackson Airport/NOAA office to
see what they knew.

They were aware of the TIS stations in Winchester and Richmond that
carried NOAA
and were for use in the event of a nerve agent leak from the Blue
Grass Army Depot
in Richmond, but they knew of no station on 1640. They gave me a list
of towns where there
are low powered NOAA WX transmitters to check and it wasn't in any of
them. On a lark
we went to Richmond Yesterday and the TIS on 1610 is still only
receivable right next
the the emergency center. But there was a different station on 1640.
This one is clearly
connected with the Nerve Agent program and may be in Berea.

Sooner then later I hope to locate both 1640 transmitters.

I will post the main body of this under a new thread.

Terry

 

[Jim Lux]

Hi Tom, we've used plastic lensing since at least the late 60's for focusing
mundane 4-12 GHz radio waves. Dielectric refraction was used back then to
extract additional gain from dish antennas by allowing more even
illumination of the dish without illuminating the area around the dish.
Harris radio had a patent on it.

J.C. Bose used dielectric lenses at 90 GHz back at the end of 19th
century (that is, in the late 1800s) when doing his experiments in Calcutta.

Optical techniques have been used in radio for a very, very long time.