WINDCATCHER I

August 2023

Windcatcher I is a quadrifilar helical antenna. I developed it prior to getting my amateur radio license, so I used it primarily to receive downlink from NOAA satellites. It was designed using PVC pipes to be weatherproof. A novel innovation I implemented was rotation couplers that allowed for quickly switching between RHCP(right hand circularly polarized) and LHCP(left hand circularly polarized) configurations. It used 50Ω coax cable, which was translated to an SMA connector to be received using an SDR(Software Defined Receiver). 

I automated the reception and translation of the signal to an image using a program I coded, alongside existing decoding programs. The images of Windcatcher I were noisy to say the least. Windcatcher II is a double-cross antenna during development as of summer of 2024, and is aimed at reducing noise and getting better reception.

Material Cost: $26.18