Moon bounce live stream July 19, 2020
After a first live stream this year in which we pointed the telescope at the Sun, we turned the telescope to the Moon last July 19 at 16:30 (CEST). More than 110 viewers watched how we sent signals to the Moon and then catched the reflection against the Moon. The live stream took about half an hour. Due to Covid-19 measures, the radio telescope was closed to visitors. When viewing the live stream on YouTube, there was an opportunity to ask questions via the chat function. We will soon post the answers to the questions here. The live stream is Dutch spoken.
The YouTube URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPO5SwMDBng.
Moon bounce or EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) is a technique used by radio amateurs in which the Moon is used as a mirror for radio signals. In this way, contacts can be made between radio amateurs all over the world. Of course, the Moon must be above the horizon for all radio amateurs involved.
Moon bounce is considered one of the most challenging activities in the amateur radio world, since it is exceptionally difficult. The Moon is far away and is also a particularly bad mirror for radio waves. Still it can be done with amateur means, but to get it done everything has to work perfectly.
The Dwingeloo Radio Telescope is a remarkably large antenna with a diameter of 25 meters. Much larger than ever would fit in a radio amateur’s garden. Its enormous size makes it an ideal instrument for producing and receiving powerful moon bounce signals.
