WHITE PAPER
v2.1 (upd 09/10/2020)
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
The SPIDER 300A is designed for mount and antenna installation outside. The environmental conditions
to be met for proper operation are:
The receiver of the SPIDER 300A radio telescope is installed inside, in a control room specially protected
by environmental phenomena (rain, snow, hail). It is preferable to install the receiver in a room with
temperature as constant as possible.
Wind speed is one of the most important parameters to consider for the safe use of the radio telescope
installed outside. SPIDER 300A radio telescope is safe for installation in external environments and does
not require coverage. For safe use, you have to:
• When not in use, the SPIDER 300A radio telescope is to be placed in the stow position with the
antenna pointing to the vertical (Zenith). In this way the antenna offers the minimum wind resistance.
• When in use, the SPIDER 300A radio telescope is designed for operations with winds up to 50 Km/h
(30 Mph). When the wind speed is higher, place the SPIDER 300A radio telescope in Stow Position and,
if necessary, lock the antenna with the stop rod. The UltraSonic Wind Sensor for SPIDER radio
telescopes (optional) allows you to constantly monitor the wind, using the RadioUniversePRO
software provided with the radio telescope. This will automatically move the SPIDER 300A to stow
position when the wind exceeds the 50 Km/h (30 Mph) safety threshold.
Condition
Temperature
from -10 °C / 14 °F to +50 °C / 122 °F
Maximum wind speed during use
50 Km/h (30 mph)
Maximum wind speed in stow position
150 Km/h (90 mph)
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ATTENTION:
because of unpredictable natural events that are not covered by the warranty, if the wind
is too high we designed a “safe release” mechanism that disconnect the mesh material from the
antenna body and save the rest of the radio telescope. This way you can change only part of the
antenna damaged by the wind with a new element of the antenna (that you can request to us as spare
part).
Extended temperature version:
For operation in extreme temperature conditions (lower or higher than
the above table condition), a version of SPIDER 300A specially designed mount is to be required and
specifically requested by the customer prior of the order.
