Qamcom on Site at SKA-Mid in South Africa

From Cape Town to the Karoo desert, Qamcom engineers recently spent two weeks in South Africa testing and validating technology for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), an international big science facility under construction, built to explore some of the biggest questions about our universe.

As part of Qamcom's ongoing collaboration with SKAO, engineers Harri Hellgren and Anneli Kalander visited the SKAO Integration & Test Facility in Cape Town and the SKA-Mid telescope site near Carnarvon in the Karoo desert.

The purpose of the visit was to test Qamcom's RXS.WR – an alternative receiver build utilising a custom-built White Rabbit endpoint – in its intended operating environment, verify its performance and prepare for the next steps towards integration into the telescope infrastructure.

Testing technology in its real environment

The visit began in Cape Town, where the team carried out initial system testing and configured devices to the telescope network before continuing to the SKA-Mid site.

In the Karoo desert, the engineers connected and configured the equipment, updated its firmware and measured frequency stability over optical fibre connections approximately 13 and 26 kilometres long.

The results were largely in line with expectations, although the real fibre connections showed some differences compared with laboratory conditions. These findings provide valuable insights for the continued development and integration of the system.

Sharing knowledge and preparing for the next phase

Beyond the technical measurements, the visit also included Site Acceptance Tests for previously installed SPFRx123 units and training sessions with SKAO's Operations team.

The training supports SKAO's ambition to strengthen their in-house capabilities for receiver maintenance and acceptance testing, with Qamcom contributing technical expertise and knowledge transfer.

The next phase will focus on installing RXS.WR units on the telescope dishes and integrating them into the telescope's command and control system, enabling further measurements under real operating conditions.

A collaboration that brings technology closer to application

The visit marked another step in Qamcom's collaboration with SKAO, combining hands-on engineering, real-world testing and close cooperation between technical teams.

While further analysis remains, the system is already supporting continued telescope construction and verification activities.

For Qamcom, the visit also provided an opportunity to work directly with the people and infrastructure behind one of the world's most ambitious radio astronomy facilities. A facility where highly specialised engineering contributes to a much larger purpose: expanding our understanding of the universe.