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The Sardinia Radio Telescope is a quasi-Gregorian system with a shaped 64 m diameter primary reflector and a 7.9 m diameter secondary reflector. It was designed to operate with high efficiency across the 0.3–116 GHz frequency range. The telescope is equipped with a cryogenic coaxial dual-frequency L-P band receiver, which covers a portion of the P-band (305–410 MHz) and the L-band (1300–1800 MHz). Although this receiver has been used for years in its original design, with satisfactory results, it presents some parts that could be upgraded in order to improve the performances of the system. With the passing of time and with technology advances, the presence of unwanted human-made signals in the area around the telescope, known as radio frequency interferences, has grown exponentially. In addition, the technology of the receiver electronic control system became obsolete and it could be replaced with next-generation electronic boards, which offer better performances both service reliability and low generation of unwanted radio frequency signals. In this paper, a feasibility study for improving the L-P band receiver is discussed, taking into account the mitigation of the main radio frequency interferences. With this study, it is possible to have a sensitive instrument that can be used for scientific research at low frequencies (P- and L-bands), which are usually populated by signals from civil and military mobile communications, TV broadcasting and remote sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space debris (SD) is an important problem for space operations and a hot topic for space surveillance research. A structured network of radar sensors is available worldwide, offering vital information about debris status. Recently, the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), a 64-m dish located in Sardinia, Italy, was introduced in the European plan for SD monitoring. Because the SRT is devoted to radio astronomy applications and is not optimized for SD echo detection, the need for an SD-dedicated channel has emerged. In this article, we present a detailed description and characterization of the new P-band receiving chain for SRT's space debris-monitoring purposes. As a test of its capabilities, the new channel was used to detect the echoes that emanated from the Chinese space station Tiangong-1 when it reentered Earth's atmosphere on its latest mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]