The Parkes Radio Telescope

[TerryMcK]

Tom Scott takes us on a tour of the Parkes Radio Telescope. Fascinating stuff.

 

 

[Padraic M]

Really interesting, thanks Terry. I love their cable management scheme, and the optical guide scope!

[TerryMcK]

9 hours ago, Padraic M said:

Really interesting, thanks Terry. I love their cable management scheme, and the optical guide scope!

Yes it puts our usb, dew heater and power cable management to shame.

[dwc]

Great video, thanks for sharing. Interesting selection of computer equipment, will make a great museum one day 😂. Seems they encounter many of the same issues we see in our installations only on a massive scale, such as isolating the main pier from vibrations.

[TerryMcK]

1 hour ago, dwc said:

isolating the main pier from vibrations

Indeed Dave. Mind you it's not every mount/scope combination that weighs 1000+ tons 😂 

[dwc]

It’s also quite a contrast to the mechanics of the big dish at Jodrell Bank. 

[woodblock]

He mentioned the PDP11 computer still controlling the dish. I spent half my career working on DEC PDP11s and then later their VAX computers  At one time almost every laboratory had a PDP11 standing in the corner. It's amazing that a company so big and ubiquitous as DEC just disappeared so quickly.