ASKAP receiver technology is about to branch out beyond the MRO, having been recently deployed to the Parkes Observatory for testing.
Through an agreement with the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy (MPIfR) in Germany, CSIRO has built a phased array feed (PAF) receiver especially for the Effelsberg telescope.
On Wednesday 10 February, the PAF was installed at Parkes over the course of the afternoon. It will remain in the focus cabin for the next eight months for characterisation tests, which will be balanced with regular maintenance and astronomical observing at the Dish.