Telescope - Ku band 12 Ghz radio receiver

Itty Bitty (Radio) Telescope - IBT or IBRT

A science project found on the Internet using a small 18" satellite dish (DirecTv or Dish Network) for detecting Ku band ~12 Ghz radiation from the sun, trees, human body, geostationary TV satellites, etc. For more info, perform a web search on: Itty Bitty Telescope.

Author's note (July 2013): others have mounted the dish up-side-down (LNB at top) to allow pointing to objects closer to the horizon - but this would require a longer mounting pole for the dish shown here.

IBRT mounted on a turntable, and powered by a solar panel:

IBRT with satellite finder meter, and showing dish elevation adjustment knobs:

Satellite finder meter adjustment - aim dish to get lowest meter reading, adjust meter gain knob until mid-scale reading, then aim at various objects which should get full scale deflection.

IBRT with circuit board (12VDC operating voltage):

Containing fuse, RF choke, Anderson Power Pole connector; 75 ohm terminator installed on unused LNB output (covered with blue silicon tape seal).