SETI League EME (Moonbounce) Station

Because the beacon system is evolutionary, and numerous upgrades are planned, it (like the moon) is a moving target. Nevertheless, technical details as of 13 March 2006 are described below:

• Location: Kinnelon NJ USA, Grid Square FN21ta
• Station Trustee: Richard Factor, WA2IKL
• Transmitter: currently 350 watts CW output (nominal)
• Frequency: 1296.000 MHz
• Accuracy: better than +- 2 Hz
• Feedline: 60 feet of 5/8 inch Cellwave hardline (estimated loss 3 dB)
• Antenna: quad helix array, RHCP uplink; gain +24 dBi
• Tracking Hardware: Kansas City Tracker driving Yaesu az/el rotors
• Tracking Sortware: NOVA for Windows
• EIRP: estimated at +76 dBm
• Path Loss: nominally 271 dB (round-trip isotropic propagation plus lunar reflective losses) [1]
• Incident Isotropic Power: -195 dBm nominal
• Sensitivity of typical Project Argus radio telescope:(assuming 12 foot dish, 50% efficiency, 200 K system noise temperature, 10 second integration) = -207 dBm [2]
• Potential Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): +12 dB (including DSP and integration gain)

References:

1. MacCleur, Chuck, W8MQW, A Pathloss Primer, Symposium 99 Proceedings, Syracuse EME Symposium, August 1999.
2. Shuch, H. Paul, N6TX, SETI sensitivity: calibrating on a Wow! signal. Proceedings of the AMSAT-NA Fourteenth Space Symposium: 130-141, American Radio Relay League, November 1996.