MMA Memo #232

A Simple Method to Improve Pointing of the MMA Antennas

John B. Lugten [1]

October 19, 1998

Keywords: radio telescopes, antennas, pointing, structural dynamics, offsetting

I present a novel method for improving the pointing accuracy of a telescope subjected to various environmental loads. The method involves separating two of the functions of the typical telescope mount structure into separate parts; the main structure carries loads, as usual, while a second structure carries essentially no load, but provides a stable reference frame from which accurate measurements are made. The separation of these two functions is analogous to the use of an ``active'' support for a telescope mirror, except in this case we consider a system with only two degrees of freedom (azimuth and elevation) and in this case the antennas already have the two actuators (the drives) and the two encoders (additional sensors can be added as needed to measure additional deflections). The proposed system can have significant advantages over laser metrology of antenna deflection.

[1] NRAO-Tucson

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Last modified: 09 December, 1999