Installation and operation of wireless antennas and weather monitoring devices

For TAO, internet line is an important communication infrastructure used for a variety of purposes, including observation and weather monitoring. But there was no internet line on the summit, and it was difficult to communicate with outside. In December 2023, we installed an antenna for wireless communication on the bridge between the enclosure and the operation building. The antenna is pointed to the base facility in San Pedro de Atacama. There are also the same antennas on the rooftop of the base facility. The situation is that the two antennas are facing each other, separated by a linear distance of 48 km. A pair of antennas provides long-distance wireless communication (using wi-fi radio waves), allowing internet access even at the summit. This communication system was used in the mini-TAO operation, but the antenna at the summit was removed after the mini-TAO operation finished. This time we reinstalled the old antenna, and confirmed communication performances as originally specified. We have succeeded in establishing an important communication infrastructure at the summit.

▲The antenna for wireless communication and the weather monitoring devices on the bridge between the enclosure and the operation building at the summit.

▲Antennas for wireless communication on the rooftop of the base facility. Two antennas are installed facing the TAO summit facility, and one is for spare.

Weather monitoring devices were also installed in the same period. The weather information on the summit is very important not only for observations but also for the safety of working staff at the summit. The devices installed on the bridge obtain various information such as air temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, rainfall, cloud cover, and all-sky images. The obtained data are summarized on a dedicated webpage. The information obtained by the installed devices will contribute to forthcoming safe summit operations and observations.

▲Webpage for checking the weather monitoring information (under development)

▲An example of the all-sky image obtained by a weather monitoring device. The enclosure is located on the top (north side) and the operation building is on the bottom (south side). We can also see many stars in an image at night.