Q6 Antenna Structure

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 +The first shipment of Gemini equipment - included the FPQ-6 antenna pedestal its heaviest item - arrived in November 1966 and was transported to Carnarvon. An 80-ton crane - the largest vehicle then to have used the North West Coastal Highway - travelled north to lift the pedestal into position.
 +
 +As befitting a precision instrument, the [[Tracking Antenna Mounts]] antenna structure and 8.8m (29ft) parabolic dish was erected upon a specially designed rigid foundation; a thick concrete base which had been poured onto several foundation piles driven 10 metres into one ancient sand dune on Browns Range.
 +
 +A NASA Technical Information Bulletin announcing the imminent construction stated:<BR>
 +''“The antenna pedestal is a precision, two-axis mount, using hydrostatic bearing in azimuth and phase roller bearings in elevation to provide mobility and support to the counter-balanced, solid-surface antenna. The antenna is positioned through anti-backlash dual-drive pedestal gearing via a high
 +torque-to-inertia electro-hydraulic valve motor system. … A viscous coupler
 +located between the valve motor and pedestal drive gearing damped out undesired
 +mechanical resonances.”'' [1]
 +
 +Put simply, the whole 30-ton pedestal, plus the dish, floated and rotated on
 +a thin film of hydraulic oil that covered the shallow dome beneath it, which in
 +turn sat atop the huge mass of concrete.

Revision as of 04:37, 2 February 2007


FPQ-6 Radar

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The first shipment of Gemini equipment - included the FPQ-6 antenna pedestal its heaviest item - arrived in November 1966 and was transported to Carnarvon. An 80-ton crane - the largest vehicle then to have used the North West Coastal Highway - travelled north to lift the pedestal into position.

As befitting a precision instrument, the Tracking Antenna Mounts antenna structure and 8.8m (29ft) parabolic dish was erected upon a specially designed rigid foundation; a thick concrete base which had been poured onto several foundation piles driven 10 metres into one ancient sand dune on Browns Range.

A NASA Technical Information Bulletin announcing the imminent construction stated:
“The antenna pedestal is a precision, two-axis mount, using hydrostatic bearing in azimuth and phase roller bearings in elevation to provide mobility and support to the counter-balanced, solid-surface antenna. The antenna is positioned through anti-backlash dual-drive pedestal gearing via a high torque-to-inertia electro-hydraulic valve motor system. … A viscous coupler located between the valve motor and pedestal drive gearing damped out undesired mechanical resonances.” [1]

Put simply, the whole 30-ton pedestal, plus the dish, floated and rotated on a thin film of hydraulic oil that covered the shallow dome beneath it, which in turn sat atop the huge mass of concrete.

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