Installed at the Visitor Center at the Very Large Array in New Mexico is a Small (2.1 meter) Radio Telescope (SRT) we purchased as a kit from CASSI. It was developed by Haystack Observatory, which maintains a web page with technical information about the antenna hardware, software, installation, and use as well as a tutorial on radio astronomy and SRT projects. Our SRT was built by three senior design students from New Mexico Tech and tweaked for public use by high school physics teacher Vic Moore during a summer Research Experience for Teachers program. We use the SRT at the Visitor Center as a demonstration tool, usually tracking the sun, showing the current spectrograph, and a 25-point image of the sun. We are currently working on a touchscreen script that will allow visitors to maneuver the telescope to various strong radio sources and build images of those sources.

In a cooperative effort with New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, NRAO has built the N²I²: NRAO/NMT Instructional Interferometer. It is a 2-element adding interferometer located at the Etscorn Campus Observatory at New Mexico Tech. The dishes were purchased from CASSI, are 10' in diameter, 25 meters apart on an east/west baseline, and use the SRT pointing software. The 21cm receivers are from Radio Astronomy Supplies. Graduate student Danielle Lucero was in charge of putting it together and making it work. Her paper (pdf) gives more details.

Other helpful links:

SARA, the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers "is a scientific, non-profit group founded for the sole purpose of supporting amateur radio astronomy."

Weak signal communication resource, including EME (Moonbounce), SETI, and amateur radio astronomy interest groups

The American Radio Relay League is the national association for amateur radio (hams). It publishes numerous technical books, including books on antennas, microwaves and VHF/UHF/microwave electronics.

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation has technical information on antennas and electronics applicable to amateur radio astronomy.

During a summer 2004 Radio Astronomy for Teachers class taught in conjunction with the Master of Science Teaching program at New Mexico Tech, one of the participants built an Itty Bitty Telescope to use as a demonstration tool with her students. Her instructions are modified from those for the Little Bitty Telescope.