Westford, USA
Built in 1961 to support Project West Ford, this very capable 18.3 meter (60 foot) radome-enclosed radio telescope has seen many uses throughout its life. In the begining it was used as an x-band radar to test the limits of communications technologies. Since 1981 its primary use has been in support of geodetic VLBI operations. The Westford Antenna also acts as a test bed for NASA in the development of new equipment and techniques supporting the worldwide geodetic VLBI program, and it is used to support the Terrestrial Air Link (TAL) program at Lincoln laboratory.
The Westford Radio Telescope participates mainly in the IVS geodesy and astrometry experiments. Specifically the telescope participates in the IVS-R1, IVS-R&D, RD-VLBA, and some IVS-T2 sessions. Information regarding these sessions can be found on the IVS website.
Other operations are scheduled in between sessions of the IVS to maximize the usage of the antenna. The e-VLBI project has used the Westford Telescope for development, and real-time transfers and correlation at a rate of 1 Gbps has been achieved.
