Installing SID and AWESOME Monitors

SID Installation Instructions

• SID Manual (pdf)

What do I Need to set up a SID Monitor?

• Access to power
• A SID monitor from Stanford, plus instructions on how to install it
• A PC with the following minimal specifications:

Hardware:
Serial port -or- USB port + USB-to-serial adapter
Ethernet port -or- means to transfer data manually*
(This may not be optional)
Standard keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.
CPU: Sufficient to run windows.

Software:
MS Windows (Windows 98 or up)
Excel -or- an equivalent data plotting tool
An internet browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.)

• An inexpensive antenna that you build yourself (see SID Antenna (pdf))
• A location that is relatively free of electric interference; could be indoors or out
• An internet connection is helpful, but not necessary to run the monitor
• To check your monitor, it might be useful to have access to information about when sunrise and sunset are for your location. Sometimes the newspapers give these. Or, you can use a sunrise sunset calculator or you can observe and time them for yourself!

What are the Requirements for an AWESOME Monitor?

• Access to power
• An AWESOME monitor from Stanford. Often we can provide assistance with installation.
• A PC with the following minimal specifications:
  • Internet link
  • Good quality DVD burner necessary if you do not have an adequate internet link
  • Pentium 4 or equal speed processor
  • At least 512MB Ram -- the more ram there is, the more frequency channels you can monitor.
  • A large hard drive - for storing large amounts of broadband data when needed. 1.5GB per hour of broadband data fills it fast unless you are rapidly burning it to DVD
  • It is also important that you get a large tower that has open PCI slots (for the A/D card) as opposed to one of those "slimmer, thinner" desktop designs which sometimes do not have any.
• An inexpensive antenna that you build yourself, described in the AWESOME Manual