An Educational Radio Telescope Optimized for Hydrogen Line Astronomy: Its implementation in academic institutes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Walid M. Dyab, Mourad S. Ibrahim, Yazan M. Allawi, Mohamed S. Darwish, Thamer Alrefay, Prince Bader Alfaisal

IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine · 2025

Abstract

The integration of a practical radio telescope into undergraduate engineering and science curricula is described. The aim is to transform an amateur radio experiment into a structured educational tool within engineering and science programs. This initiative seeks to inspire and attract more students to fields related to space science and exploration. A cost-effective five-meter parabolic reflector is designed and built using simple low-cost materials. With affordable software-defined radio (SDR) receivers and signal processing computer codes, a total implementation cost of fewer than 10,000 Saudi Riyal (approximately US$2,500) per telescope is achieved. This radio telescope has been successfully replicated in five universities in Saudi Arabia. This project shows a great potential to inspire collaborative scientific endeavors, particularly in the domains of antennas, wave propagation, and radio astronomy, promoting innovation and interdisciplinary research education.

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How to cite

Dyab, W. M., Ibrahim, M. S., Allawi, Y. M., Darwish, M. S., Alrefay, T., & Alfaisal, P. B. (2025). An Educational Radio Telescope Optimized for Hydrogen Line Astronomy: Its implementation in academic institutes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [Education Corner]. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, 67(6), 72–95. https://doi.org/10.1109/map.2025.3621127