The SEARFE Project

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The SEARFE Project

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• G. Ñima Warr
• 2-Dec-03

Students Exploring Australias Radio Frequency Env
ironment www.searfe.atnf.csiro.au
AUSTRALIA
Geraldton
Narrabri
Kimba
Sydney
Canberra
Melbourne
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SEARFE Project Aims

• Education Outreach
• Raise awareness of radio-science
• Give students practical experience of
• the value and use of the RF spectrum
• the requirements of a radio-quiet site (by
  comparing results from city and country areas)
  and why a radio-quiet site is required for the
  next generation radio telescopes SKA LOFAR
• Research
• Characterising and potential long-term monitoring
  of Australias radio-frequency environment
• Compare measurements with predictions based on
  the Australian Communication Authoritys database
  of licensed transmitters

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SEARFE Scientists Engineers
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SEARFE Equipment Kit

• RF scanning receiver AOR AR3000A or WinRadio
  1550e
• IBM laptop computer
• Software for spectrum acquisition and display
• 25-1300 MHz discone antenna cables
• Student Research Guides and Teacher Resource Kit,
  including operating instructions, experimental
  notes and background information

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SEARFE Software Spectrum Scanner v4.2
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Location of schools involved in the SEARFE Project
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Sydney cf Kimba (City NSW cf Country SA)
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RF Transmitters within 200km of Sydney and Kimba
Sydney (NSW)
Kimba (SA)
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SEARFE in the Media

• 12-Aug-03 SEARFE Story on Channel Tens Totally
  Wild programme
• 4-Aug-03 Geraldton Guardian story on students
  presentation at International SKA 2003 Conference
• 27-Jul-03 Sun Herald article on SEARFE and radio
  quiet zones

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SEARFE on Display

• 1524-Jul-03 IAU GA, Sydney
• ASKAC stand at the Astro Expo
• Schools day demo by Abbotsleigh School students
• Poster in SS4 Education Session
• UNSW-lead Astronomy on the Go lead-up event -
  toured more than a dozen schools in regional NSW
  and several schools in Sydney
• 26-Jul-03 Astronomy Day for Teachers Workshop
• 2831-Jul-03 International SKA 2003 Meeting,
  Geraldton
• 17-Aug-03 UTS stand at Science in the City,
  Sydney
• 2528-Aug-03 UTS stand at Science in the Bush,
  Tamworth
• Mopra

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Geraldton Students demonstrating SEARFE at
International SKA2003 Conference
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SEARFE in a Box on tour with Astronomy on the
Go
Catherine McCauley School
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SEARFE in a Box on tour with Astronomy on the
Go
Wenona School North Sydney
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Results

• Narrabri and Geraldton

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Predicted Strongest RF Environment Signal Levels
100-2000 MHz
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Predicted Strongest RF Environment Signal Levels
Integrated 0.1-22.2 GHz
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Earth at Night
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Forte Satellite Global Radio-Frequency
Environment Measurements29-51 121-146 MHz
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THE SEARFE RADIO SCIENCE ASTRONOMY AWARENESS
PROJECTG. B. Warr 1, D. Campbell-Wilson 2,
A. J. Green 2, P. J. Hall 1, B. J. Jacobs
3, O. H. Mather 2, O. L. Shepherd 2, M. C.
Storey 1.1 Australia Telescope National
Facility, CSIRO2 School of Physics, University
of Sydney3 Faculty of Engineering, University
of Technology SydneyA pilot project to raise
awareness and gain practical experience in radio
astronomy, radio-science and the importance of
the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum is being run in
several Australian high schools. Students from
city and country high schools are using computer
controlled RF scanners connected to wideband
discone antennas to measure RF signal levels up
to 1.5 GHz in their local area and are comparing
their results via the internet. Through this the
students gain an increased understanding of the
value and use of the radio frequency spectrum for
communication and astronomy, practical experience
in radio-science and an appreciation of the
requirements of a "radio-quiet" site for the next
generation radio telescopes, the Low Frequency
Array (LOFAR) and the Square Kilometre Array
(SKA), that Australia is bidding to host. The
effectiveness of the project is being evaluated
through a number of means including standardised
tests of participating student's understanding vs
a control group, feedback from teachers and from
trained science communicators. Further details
on the project can be found at the SEARFE
website www.searfe.atnf.csiro.au