News


Tellumat contributes to MeerKAT

25 January 2012 News

Tellumat has invested in innovative, locally developed solutions that will form key elements of the current MeerKAT and hopefully the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

The MeerKAT array, currently taking shape in South Africa’s Karoo region, is a world-class radio telescope designed to do ground-breaking science. It will be the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the southern hemisphere until the SKA is completed around 2024. Via MeerKAT, South Africa is playing a key role in design and technology developments for the SKA.

Tellumat has been responsible for the electronic receiver design for the KAT-7 project which was the precursor to the current MeerKAT project. The one element of the full electronic receiver chain that was imported from an international supplier, was the cryogenic low noise amplifier. Tellumat’s investment will now allow for this solution to be sourced locally while also creating jobs as part of the supply value chain.

How does it work?

An ultra-low noise amplifier for the reception of weak signals from space has been designed and developed at Tellumat. To achieve the requisite low noise performance, the amplifier was designed to be cooled, and operate, at liquid nitrogen temperature which is 77 Kelvin or -196°C.

All amplifiers make received signals stronger, but they also add unwanted noise to the signal. In everyday life, this is the same as the hiss one hears when a HiFi’s volume is turned up while no music is being played. Amplifier noise degrades the signal and it is desirable to minimise it. The advantage of cooling the amplifier is that the random thermal noise which is caused by the motion of the electrons in the amplifier’s internal components (transistors, resistors etc), reduces as the amplifier is cooled down to very low (cryogenic) temperatures.

To illustrate the performance obtained, it is useful to compare two cases: the best performance achieved without cryogenic cooling (ie, the best off-the-shelf amplifier operating at normal room temperature) will add noise equivalent to a physical temperature of 28 Kelvin. The performance obtained by the Tellumat amplifier will add noise equivalent to 15 Kelvin ie, it offers almost twice the sensitivity of the best commercially available room-temperature amplifiers.

This almost halves the number of receiving dishes required for a given radio telescope sensitivity or allows almost twice the sensitivity with the same number of dishes. The Tellumat amplifier provides for amplification of 1000-fold (30 dB), and amplifies signals in the 1000 MHz to 1800 MHz frequency range, as required by the MeerKAT radio telescope.

The LNA curve in Figure 1 is the measured performance of the prototype (noise temperature vs. operating frequency) and the vertical bars indicate the expected measurement uncertainty. The predicted performance curve originates from the computer aided engineering (CAE) design, and it lies neatly within the measured values and associated measurement uncertainty.

Figure 1. Predicted and measured performance of Tellumat cryogenic LNA
Figure 1. Predicted and measured performance of Tellumat cryogenic LNA

For more information contact Shaun Hendricks, Tellumat, +27 (0)21 710 2442, [email protected], www.tellumat.com





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

From the editor’s desk: Windows 10’s end of support arrives bringing industrial risks
Technews Publishing News
By the time you read this column, support for non-LTSC editions of Windows 10 will have ended, officially having their last day on 14 October 2025. This means no more security patches, feature updates, ...

Read more...
Electronic News Digest
News
A brief synopsis of current global news relating to the electronic engineering fields with regards to company finances, general company news, and engineering technologies.

Read more...
Correction: Marijana Abt, Rebound Electronics
News
      In the August issue of Dataweek magazine, the article titled ‘Celebrating innovation, leadership, and the next generation’ featured Marijana Abt, senior account manager at Rebound Electronics. Owing ...

Read more...
Trasna and RF Design announce distribution agreement
RF Design News
Trasna and RF Design have announced a strategic distribution agreement for cellular IoT solutions which will ensure seamless availability of Trasna’s cellular connectivity solutions.

Read more...
Local partnership puts demand-side management to work in South Africa
News
Sensor Networks has partnered with European demand-side management specialist ThermoVault to bring advanced load-shifting capabilities to one of the country’s biggest energy consumers: the household geyser.

Read more...
Hisense SA launches year-long learnership programme for youth
News
Hisense SA’s manufacturing plant in Atlantis recently welcomed 100 young people from the local community, to embark on a year-long learnership and skills development programme.

Read more...
Comtest hosts channel partners
Comtest News
Comtest, together with FLUKE, recently set the stage for an unforgettable afternoon as they welcomed over 80 Channel Partners to their annual celebration of excellence.

Read more...
RS South Africa and Qhubeka empower learners through the gift of mobility
RS South Africa News
Through its bicycle donation initiative, 354 bicycles have been distributed to date, empowering students to access education more easily by reducing the physical and economic barriers posed by long daily commutes.

Read more...
Deca and SST announce strategic collaboration
News
The collaboration provides customers with a modular, memory-centric foundation for advanced multi-die architectures.

Read more...
Specialised Exhibitions transitions to new name: Montgomery Group Africa
News
As part of a strategic move to streamline operations, strengthen regional alignment, and support long-term growth, Specialised Exhibitions has transitioned to a new name: Montgomery Group Africa.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved