Amateur

SETI

Scott Carter
seti@22u.ca

Credit iStock/cosmin4000

Open-Source SETI Software Project

With technical advances in computing and analytics, it has become apparent that there is a need for a modern software suite for SETI that is flexible, scalable and Open-Source.

Several developers are working on such a project which is currently in it's infancy. The software aims to allow stations enabled with Software Defined Radio (SDR) such as the HackRF One to analyze radio signals in almost real-time and notifiy the station operator of any potential candidate signals that are detected. The software will also display which stations are currently on-line in the network. Written mainly in Python, the software will be compatible with a number of computing platforms.

The software can be downloaded from it's Github repository. The current fork of the software is located here:

https://github.com/SetiOp/SETI-stations.git

The Re-Building of SETI Station CA01

SETI Station CA01 is using a smaller temporary dish to get the system on-line. It is currently limited to 2 GHz. It will be replaced soon by a four foot solid aluminum dish operating above 4 GHz with a HackRF One SDR receiver.

Search For Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence

Life on Earth can be found in many forms, so wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that life exists elsewhere in the universe? Scott Carter searches for an answer to the question: "Are we alone?" using a dish antenna and Software Defined Radio (SDR). This site documents his SETI journey and the search for techno-signatures that could answer this important question.

SETI enthusiasts have been scanning the skies for years, searching for signals that may indicate the possibility of life outside of our solar system. Although some interesting signals have been found, most have been explained as naturally occurring or caused by the activities of humans on Earth. Advances in technology over the past two decades have brought the SETI search with-in the reach of many hobbyists. It is an exciting time to get involved!

Explore the field of SETI from an amateur's perspective, and learn what is being done to expand the capabilities of back yard observatories. Scott is one of the amateurs who is leading the effort to further SETI science.