Instructions for SRT_Plotter
SRT_Plotter is designed as a tool for facilitating the analysis of data for labs using the Haystack SRT ("Small Radio Telescope"). This tool is also useful for simulating these experiments for users without the telescope.
This program is written for reading in data files output from the SRT digital receiver. Data obtained with the dongle receiver can be converted to format readable by SRT_Plotter by running the program "SRTdongle."
If not yet familiar with this package, read the "Controls and Buttons for the SRT_Plotter Program" first. The instructions for
the labs are linked below.
Controls and Buttons for the SRT_Plotter Program
1. After clicking on the "SRT_Plotter.jar" shortcut, you'll see a display window with
a graph on the left, while on the right you'll see a box for "Data blocks" above a number
of control buttons.
2. Use the "Open File" to read in SRT data files. The SRT_Plotter program will then divide
your data set into "blocks" using the comment lines in your data as markers of new blocks.
(The comment lines indicate each time you gave the SRT a new command). In the graph on the
left you'll see a time-averaged spectrum for the data block selected on the right.
3. You can delete data blocks at any time by selecting one and clicking the "delete" key.
4. When you get a plot that you’d like to save, you can right-click on the graph and
save the image as a JPEG file.
5. At any point, you can click “Save File”, which will save the data into a format which
can be read back into SRT_Plotter using the "Open File" button.
Links to Labs
Measuring the Beam
A lab demonstrating the resolution of a radio telescope.
Calibrating the CAL Noise Diode
A lab demonstrating the initial calibration of the telescope's response.
Measuring the Surface Temperature of the Moon
A lab demonstrating how to interpret the measured "Antenna Temperature" and how it relates to the physics of the source.
Measuring the Rotation Curve and Mass of the Milky Way
Observations of the 21-cm emission line of neutral Hydrogen in the plane of the Milky Way are used to infer the rotation speed of the disk of the Milky Way at various radii. Newtonian Mechanics are then used in the analysis to infer the mass of the galaxy. This lab provides evidence for the presence of dark matter!
(This lab was initially posted at the Haystack SRT web page. Click
here to see the original.)