Thomas Telkamp – Radar astronomy
Bio:
Thomas Telkamp is an active volunteer at the historic Dwingeloo Radio Telescope in the Netherlands. There, he contributes to various radio astronomy and deep space communication projects. Recent highlights include the measurement of several Radio Recombination Lines, the reception of Voyager 1, and receiving an echo from Venus. All software developed and data collected in these projects is openly available to the public. Thomas is also co-founder of Lacuna Space, a new-space company pioneering global Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity via satellite. Headquartered at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, Lacuna Space aims to enable IoT access anywhere on Earth. After serving as Chief Technology Officer for several years, Thomas now leads the company’s research and development efforts, with a focus on advanced RF modulation techniques and on-board signal processing.
Abstract:
Restored in 2012 with the help of radio amateurs, the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope not only regained its ability to receive signals from space but also acquired transmit capability. This new functionality is frequently used by amateur radio operators for moonbounce communication (Earth-Moon-Earth, or EME). It also enables active radar observations of nearby celestial bodies by reflecting radio waves off their surfaces, opening the door to experiments in planetary radar astronomy.
In this presentation, we will discuss ongoing radar experiments targeting the Moon and Venus, detailing the technical setup, signal characteristics, and processing techniques such as Delay-Doppler mapping. We will also share results from bi-static lunar radar experiments, carried out in collaboration between Dwingeloo and the Astropeiler Stockert radio telescope in Germany.