2024/07/03 by Yifan Zhao, Zhao, Yifan, Daniel Jacobs +13
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · #Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation #Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO) #FOS: Physical sciences #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Inertial Sensor and Navigation #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2407.03462
openalex publication_date 2024/07/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Precision measurements of the beam pattern response are needed to predict the response of a radio telescope. Mapping the beam of a low frequency radio array presents a unique challenge and science cases such as the observation of the 21 cm line at high redshift have demanding requirements. Drone-based systems offer the unique potential for a measurement which is entirely under experimenter control, but progress has been paced by practical implementation challenges. Previously, a prototype drone system, called the External Calibrator for Hydrogen Observatories (ECHO), demonstrated good performance in making a complete hemispherical beam measurement. This paper reports updates to the system focusing on performance of a new drone platform, minimizing interference from the drone, and a new transmitter.