Here some questions are answered about UKARANet. Please email us if you have a question that is not answered here.
What is UKARANet?
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This acronym stands for UK Amateur Radio Astronomy Network. As the name
suggests this is a web site dedicated to amateur radio astronomy activities
in the UK. There are many sites detailing the activities of individuals or
groups and a few sites offering more general information - many of these
are oriented towards the US and there are few clues to assist UK residents
to find information, items or suppliers easily accessible to them. There
are only a few sites with "how to" information. There is a gap which this
site aims to fill.
Is UKARANet official or affiliated?
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It is not affiliated to any organisation, national or international.
Is UKARANet a club or society?
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It is neither a club nor a society. It doesn't have a committee, nor does it
have members. The reason for this is simple - to do so would be to invite the
existence of "club politics", and life is not long enough for that!
Can I join UKARANet?
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It doesn't have members. However you are encouraged to make contributions
and participate as fully as possible.
How can I contribute to UKARANet?
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You are very welcome to contribute information and articles, links to your
projects or information about them if you do not have a web site. This is
very straightforward - you are invited to send us information about what
you want to contribute, we discuss with you how it may best fit into the
site (if appropriate), and you write it up and send it in. Where articles
and papers are concerned, we will pass these to a professional for review.
If any amendments or enhancements are suggested, we will send you these.
The aims of this are simple, it helps you and it helps make the site as
good as possible.
Who runs UKARANet?
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The site is run by a small group of people who saw the need for it. This
grew out of conversations between those working on the project documented
here . It is a private initiative, but
participation is invited. It is entirely non-profit and run straightforwardly as a service
for those who are interested in radio astronomy.
What are the aims of UKARANet?
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To encourage those who have an interest in radio astronomy to have a go for
themselves.
To provide information about peoples' projects for the interest of those
who are likeminded. To provide project ideas for beginners and those taking subsequent steps.
To provide an archive of useful information and articles.
What kind of information will be included on UKARANet?
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Information about projects that are taking place in the UK. Articles,
papers and other useful information relating to radio astronomy. Project
ideas which aim to help you get things set up and working.
Why didn't you ask me before setting it up?
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We can't ask everybody, and if we do it will take forever to agree the best
way forward! After consulting a number of individuals in the field we are
putting up this site, reflecting the concensus to the best of our ability.
If you have a constructive suggestion to make the site better, please send
it to us and we will consider it carefully. If you have negative things
things to say, etiquette precludes the publication of the appropriate
procedure. So far we have had only positive communications and we hope this
will remain so. We welcome your feedback.
Does UKARANet compete with anything else?
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No. UKARANet is not an organisation. There are some commercial sites and
organisational sites. We do not compete with them, we encourage you to look
at their information and to learn from it.
Does UKARANet have a connection with SETI?
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No. We hold a neutral position and recognise that opinions differ. Our aim
is to promote amateur radio astronomy. If you should wish to participate in
SETI, you should contact the UK branch of the SETI League. If you wish to
participate in radio astronomy, please look further at our site. You are
free to do either, neither or both.
Does UKARANet include radio amateur information?
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Not specifically, but it does creep in when reflections of radio waves off
the moon or meteors are discussed. Depending on results, this could be classified as Amateur
Radar Astronomy.