Can I Use Microwaves to Study Asteroids?

[Vipertiper]

How would I shoot microwaves at a piece of asteroid? Scientist shot something which I forgot, And they could get data from it? Is that possible for a price of 2,000$ I would love to see if I could find out compositions of asteroids.
And what could I use? I know that NASA probably uses morse code right? So how could I make my reciever read morse code? or should I say where can I learn morse code?

 

[davenn]

hi there
welcome to PF

ummm do you have any electronics experience at all ... as in have you actually built any significant circuits ?

$2000 no probably not maybe 3 or 4 times that.
1) you would need a high power transmitter maybe ~ 100W there's several $1000 for a start
2) A large parabolic dish 40 ft or so diameter with all the precision driven motors for it to be able to track a tiny fast moving lump of rock, maybe another $20,000
3) high gain very low noise receiver module, nitrogen cooled to achieve that low noise figure maybe another ~ $2000
4) a block of land big enough to mount the dish a few more 1000 if out in a rural area,
5) another few 1000 for the concrete mounting
6) hardware engineering design specifications so that the structure meets/conforms to local government building plan permits maybe another few 1000 $$
7) finally acquiring transmitter licencing for high power microwave band transmission from you local organisation in the USA the FCCjust to give you a moment of realism at 10GHz microwave frequency us amateur radio operators can just very weakly hear our signals bounced off the moon with a 20W transmitter into a 12 ft diameter dish
An asteroid is a tiny lump of rock in comparison, a reflected signal from even a high power transmitter would be extremely weak.

cheers
Dave

 

[davenn]

a little more realism

a couple of years ago a bunch of ham radio operators used the 1000ft diameter Arecibo dish in Puerto Rico in the Caribbean to bounce radio signals off the planet Venus

don't think you are going to build a 1000ft dish at home any time soon

Dave

 

[SteamKing]

Morse code? That's so TwenCen. Nobody uses Morse Code anymore.

 

[davenn]

Morse code? That's so TwenCen. Nobody uses Morse Code anymore.

hahaha you would be surprised how many still use it ... still quite a fad amongst some radio operators. I have a few radio op friends that refuse to use voice or digital ... their view ... communicate with me on CW or not at all

Dave

 

[SteamKing]

Well, Morse Code is one of those things whose better days are behind it.

Morse has been superseded for maritime distress calls by the adoption of the GMDSS system, and the ITU and other communications agencies no longer require that Morse proficiency be demonstrated before granting an operator's license. The FCC has dropped all Morse requirements from its licensing tests. Even Western Union doesn't do telegrams anymore.

While I grant there may still be a lot of people who understand and can send Morse, I fear their numbers will naturally dwindle. Writing on clay tablets was once all the rage; now, not so much.

 

[davenn]

yeah that's true

I did try learning CW many years back for my advanced radio op's license couldn't get past 6 wpm needed 12 wpm I finally gave up and kept to my technicians license ... I really didnt have any interest in HF anyway all my main work and experimenting has been mainly 400MHz and up to 24GHz

and as you say, they finally abolished the CW requirement in many countries including where I am.
I gave HF a hammering for ~ 12 months then lost interest and and went back to my "first love" ... the microwave bands much much more challenging!

cheers
Dave

 

[davenn]

this one is just for you steamking

cheers my friend

Dave