IN THE BEGINNING
Radio Astronomy Supplies was driven by the need to supply and support equipment
to those pursuing the field of Radio Astronomy, whether for research or education.
Early in the 1970's, Robert (Bob) M. Sickles (photo below), a pioneer in amateur Radio Astronomy,
did much to help many newcomers all over the world with mentoring and equipment.
Robert lived in South Florida, USA and passed on in 1993.
I, Jeff Lichtman, had the great opportunity to work beside Bob and
to learn many techniques from the engineer, inventor, and mentor.
Upon his passing, his wife Dorothy (Dot) Sickles approached me with a dilemma. She mentioned that
there were many letters and calls from those Bob had helped over the years and that it would
be a great loss to let those people down while they were in the stage of learning and experimenting.
So, without hesitation, RAS was born.
RAS has over 80 + years of "combined" technical and engineering knowledge in the area of
Low Noise Technology as it relates to Radio Astronomy. Our vast network of people in the field,
offering support in innovative ideas, contribute to our success.
THOSE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN AT RAS
From Left to Right
Carl Lyster, RAS Design Engineer Jeff Lichtman, Owner-Founder, Cynthia Lichtman - Office Mgmt.
Tommy Henderson WD5AGO - Microwave/Antenna Engineer
From Left to Right
Carl Lyster, RAS Design Engineer Jeff Lichtman, Owner-Founder, Cynthia Lichtman - Office Mgmt.
Tommy Henderson WD5AGO - Microwave/Antenna Engineer
Who Uses RAS for Research and Education?
Here are a few:
PARI (Pisgah Astronomical Research Center) NC
Deep Space Exploration Society, CO
Onsala Space Observatory, OSO Chalmers, SWEDEN
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank and VLA
University of Hertfordshire, UK
University of Kalyani, INDIA
Inter-Univ. Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, INDIA
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA Tata Inst.), Pune, INDIA
Stanford University, CA
Universidad Politecnica Cartagena, SPAIN
University of Gottingen, GERMANY
Cardiff University, Wales, UK
Brigham Young University, UT
University of North Texas, TX
Emory University, GA
Hartebeesthoek Radio Observatory, (HartRAO), SOUTH AFRICA
SKA (Square Kilometer Array), SOUTH AFRICA
WE ENDORSE ALL "STEM" ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS!
Here are a few:
PARI (Pisgah Astronomical Research Center) NC
Deep Space Exploration Society, CO
Onsala Space Observatory, OSO Chalmers, SWEDEN
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank and VLA
University of Hertfordshire, UK
University of Kalyani, INDIA
Inter-Univ. Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, INDIA
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA Tata Inst.), Pune, INDIA
Stanford University, CA
Universidad Politecnica Cartagena, SPAIN
University of Gottingen, GERMANY
Cardiff University, Wales, UK
Brigham Young University, UT
University of North Texas, TX
Emory University, GA
Hartebeesthoek Radio Observatory, (HartRAO), SOUTH AFRICA
SKA (Square Kilometer Array), SOUTH AFRICA
WE ENDORSE ALL "STEM" ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS!
What are they saying?
University of Tasmania, Australia
A NOTE OF PRAISE FROM A WELL RESPECTED AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHER!
14m Radio Telescope and 64m at Parkes
Hi Carl (RAS Lead Design Engineer),
I have some good news for you. We recently took the receiver you built for us and the rest of our gear to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. We installed our complete system on the University of Tasmania 14m Radio Telescope. We attempted interferometry between the 14m and a 26m system they have on the same site some 150m away. We were successful!. Our first target was Taurus (Crab nebula) which is very bright at approx. 900 Jy. We then tried 15 and finally 5 Jy sources and achieved fringes in both cases, admittedly very weak in the case of the 5 Jy source. This is excellent news. Our next step is to try between a 6m dish back here in Auckland NZ and the 64m at Parkes in Australia. The combined area of these is approx. same as the 14 and 26m dishes at Hobart so we are hopeful of a positive result. I had a chance to test the receiver for coherence / freq. stability against the Hobart Hydrogen maser, it performed impeccably when fed from our Rubidium freq. standard. Your circuitry is very stable.
===================
University of Kalyani, India
My Dear Jeff,
Hope you are all well. Your radio astronomical instruments are excellently working in our
environment and we are gathering data and exciting information. Some we have already published.
With my best personal regards,
Dr. Asitbaran Bhattacharya June 2014
===================
Hayley Smith, MPhys Physics with Astrophysics Student University of York, UK Student
Over the past eighteen months I have worked intensively with equipment purchased from Radio Astronomy Supplies. This initially included work with a 1420MHz Hydrogen Spectrometer and later far more in depth work with the 6.67GHz Methanol receiver. Good results were obtained from both studies. In all cases I found the equipment and SpectraCyber software incredibly user-friendly. Whenever any query arose, a swift and friendly answer was always received, which was very much appreciated. Many thanks once again for your help and support - it really is appreciated!
=========================
Joydeep Bagchi, IUCAA
Dear Mr. Lichtman, Greetings!
So far I have interacted with you only as a `customer`. But, here is something different; I am enclosing for you and friends at RAS a few observations and plots that we have obtained with `SPECTRA-CYBER`. These were done with a 4-mt dish antenna located at the GMRT (Giant Meter Wave Radio Telescope) observatory near Pune. The first plot is for the Sun (easy!) and the next two are 21cm observations for the Orion and the Cassiopeia region of Milky Way. You can see the feedhorn mounted on the 4-mt dish in the next picture. Some engineering and science students did these observations as part of their project work. Some or other students are always working with the 21cm receiver and the dish. These observations were very nice indeed.
We are quite impressed with the superb performance of the RAS equipment and in particular with the 1420 MHz LNAs. We tested these in our radio lab and got quite impressive response. Congratulations to you and the talented electronics team of RAS!. We are going to use all these equipment for a radio-astronomy lab that we are setting up in IUCAA. This lab will be used to train and motivate bright students and teachers, conveying the beauty and excitement of radio astronomy and creating talented radio astronomers in India who will use GMRT to its full capability.
Best wishes, Joydeep Bagchi, IUCAA
===========================
Michael Simpson Of Weber University
8 May 2007 Attn: Jeffrey M. Lichtman, Good Afternoon Jeff, I apologize for not getting back with you in a timely manner. I just completed a grueling spring semester with many outstanding outcomes. I made you a disk about the WSU (Weber State University) RA system. Because of you, I received a lot great kudos, a scholarship, a chance to be nominated in the McNair Program and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. I really appreciate the outstanding professionalism and dedication you and Carl Lyster have bestowed on me. Thank you once again!
Sincerely, Michael Simpson Weber University, Ogden, UT
====================
VLA / NRAO
Jeff, I am going to replace all of the NRAO designed P-Band amplifiers in the antennas with your amplifiers.
Sincerely, Chuck Kutz, VLA/NRAO
University of Tasmania, Australia
A NOTE OF PRAISE FROM A WELL RESPECTED AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHER!
14m Radio Telescope and 64m at Parkes
Hi Carl (RAS Lead Design Engineer),
I have some good news for you. We recently took the receiver you built for us and the rest of our gear to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. We installed our complete system on the University of Tasmania 14m Radio Telescope. We attempted interferometry between the 14m and a 26m system they have on the same site some 150m away. We were successful!. Our first target was Taurus (Crab nebula) which is very bright at approx. 900 Jy. We then tried 15 and finally 5 Jy sources and achieved fringes in both cases, admittedly very weak in the case of the 5 Jy source. This is excellent news. Our next step is to try between a 6m dish back here in Auckland NZ and the 64m at Parkes in Australia. The combined area of these is approx. same as the 14 and 26m dishes at Hobart so we are hopeful of a positive result. I had a chance to test the receiver for coherence / freq. stability against the Hobart Hydrogen maser, it performed impeccably when fed from our Rubidium freq. standard. Your circuitry is very stable.
===================
University of Kalyani, India
My Dear Jeff,
Hope you are all well. Your radio astronomical instruments are excellently working in our
environment and we are gathering data and exciting information. Some we have already published.
With my best personal regards,
Dr. Asitbaran Bhattacharya June 2014
===================
Hayley Smith, MPhys Physics with Astrophysics Student University of York, UK Student
Over the past eighteen months I have worked intensively with equipment purchased from Radio Astronomy Supplies. This initially included work with a 1420MHz Hydrogen Spectrometer and later far more in depth work with the 6.67GHz Methanol receiver. Good results were obtained from both studies. In all cases I found the equipment and SpectraCyber software incredibly user-friendly. Whenever any query arose, a swift and friendly answer was always received, which was very much appreciated. Many thanks once again for your help and support - it really is appreciated!
=========================
Joydeep Bagchi, IUCAA
Dear Mr. Lichtman, Greetings!
So far I have interacted with you only as a `customer`. But, here is something different; I am enclosing for you and friends at RAS a few observations and plots that we have obtained with `SPECTRA-CYBER`. These were done with a 4-mt dish antenna located at the GMRT (Giant Meter Wave Radio Telescope) observatory near Pune. The first plot is for the Sun (easy!) and the next two are 21cm observations for the Orion and the Cassiopeia region of Milky Way. You can see the feedhorn mounted on the 4-mt dish in the next picture. Some engineering and science students did these observations as part of their project work. Some or other students are always working with the 21cm receiver and the dish. These observations were very nice indeed.
We are quite impressed with the superb performance of the RAS equipment and in particular with the 1420 MHz LNAs. We tested these in our radio lab and got quite impressive response. Congratulations to you and the talented electronics team of RAS!. We are going to use all these equipment for a radio-astronomy lab that we are setting up in IUCAA. This lab will be used to train and motivate bright students and teachers, conveying the beauty and excitement of radio astronomy and creating talented radio astronomers in India who will use GMRT to its full capability.
Best wishes, Joydeep Bagchi, IUCAA
===========================
Michael Simpson Of Weber University
8 May 2007 Attn: Jeffrey M. Lichtman, Good Afternoon Jeff, I apologize for not getting back with you in a timely manner. I just completed a grueling spring semester with many outstanding outcomes. I made you a disk about the WSU (Weber State University) RA system. Because of you, I received a lot great kudos, a scholarship, a chance to be nominated in the McNair Program and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. I really appreciate the outstanding professionalism and dedication you and Carl Lyster have bestowed on me. Thank you once again!
Sincerely, Michael Simpson Weber University, Ogden, UT
====================
VLA / NRAO
Jeff, I am going to replace all of the NRAO designed P-Band amplifiers in the antennas with your amplifiers.
Sincerely, Chuck Kutz, VLA/NRAO