Palomar Amateur Radio Club STEM Experimentation Lab
The STEM Experimentation Lab's purpose is to provide the community with access to resources for education and experimentation that leverages the unique features of the PARC site on Palomar Mountain.
Use of the STEMLab is free to anyone with internet access subject to the availability of its resources.The Lab features multiple Software Defined Radios (SDR) that are accessible to its users over the internet.
These provide signal data that can be used for demonstrations, learning exercises and experimentation.
The Lab offers a unique capability by providing access to HF, VHF and UHF signals with multiple SDRs for multiple users from anywhere there is internet access.
There are currently two "Lab Benches". The HF Bench is dedicated to the HF radio bands. The Experimentation Bench provides access to the VHF and UHF radio bands. This equipment is used to facilitate STEM awareness, education and training for members and the greater San Diego area community. Educational material is available online for members, schools and the general public.
The STEM Experimentation lab was built by PARC member volunteers as a part of the 2022/2023 PARC Modernization Project. ⓘ About the PARC 2022/23 Modernization Project
As you navigate the site, you will see two types of links. The information links ⓘ indicate a page local to the site. The chain links 🔗 indicate navigation to an external site.
📡 STEMLab HF Bench
The HF Bench's two Airspy HF Discovery SDRs are accessed via OpenWebRX+ which is an SDR server application with a client that runs entirely in the user's web browser. No additional software is required to use the OpenWebRX+ client. The same is true for the KiwiSDR. The STEMLab's OpenWebRX+ and KiwiSDR systems are free and open to anyone with an internet connection to enjoy.
| Amateur Radio HF Band SDRs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Band Coverage | Software Defined Radio | Click Selection |
| Amateur bands (10,12,15,17,20,40,80 meters) | Airspy HF Discovery #1 | |
| Amateur bands (10,12,15,17,20,40,80 meters) | Airspy HF Discovery #2 | |
| HF Band (500 KHz - 30 MHz) | KiwiSDR v2 | |
| HF Band (500 KHz - 30 MHz) | KiwiSDR v2 | |
Note: the beta test instance runs on a Raspberry Pi 4B with 2GB RAM that hosts both Airspy HF Discovery SDRs. The Cushcraft R8 antenna is shared with both Airspy HF Discovery SDRs and the KiwiSDRv2.
ⓘ STEMLab HF Bench General Information
ⓘ OpenWebRX+ Information and Operation
ⓘ KiwiSDR Information and Operation
📡 STEMLab Experimentation Bench
The STEMLab Experimentation Bench SDRs primarily access the VHF and UHF bands. The Experimentation Bench is intended more for providing access to various applications and data for education and experimental purposes.
| SDRs Available for STEM Experiments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Frequency Coverage | Software Defined Radio | Click Selection |
| 24.0 MHz - 1766 MHz | RTL-SDR Blog v3 #1 | |
| 24.0 MHz - 1766 MHz | RTL-SDR Blog v3 #2 | |
| 325.0 MHz - 3.8 GHz) | ADALM Pluto | |
Note: The shared antenna is a Diamond D130NJ which covers approximately 25MHz to 1300MHz.
ⓘ STEMLab Experimentation Bench General Information
Information on the STEMLab's SDR hardware can be found here. ⓘ
PARC STEMLab SDRs
A Brief Introduction to Software Defined Radio (SDR) ⓘ
SDR Introduction
Note: PARC does not sell or endorse any products mentioned in these pages.
Information is provided for education and instructional purposes only.