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| Personal background |
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I played a very minor roll in the development of the
first SERENDIP prototype receiver system in 1974-75 as a student lab
assistant for Dr. Stuart Bowyer's X-Ray astronomy group.
During my work at SSL in 1974 I noticed an
old PDP 8/S computer gathering dust in the corner of
the lab. I asked Dr. Bowyer what it was for, and if I might
play with it to get it working. He explained the SERENDIP
receiver idea to me, and indicated that was the computer
they wanted to use for their first SERENDIP receiver.
I got the computer functioning (debugging discrete transistor
"flip chips") and then it became interesting. Dr. Bowyer
directed Dr. Michael Lampton, and other astronomers of the
group to provide algorithms and electronics to me to assemble
into the first prototype SERENDIP receiver. I provided the
programming for the PDP 8/S and at their direction assembled
the system into a simple digitally tuned radio spectrum analyzer.
The 100 channel auto-correlator spectrum analyzer donated
by Jack Welch was the first line of processing for the radio signal.
This device presented processed data to the computer which could
continue the processing to complete the FFT spectrum analysis.
The big problem was the PDP 8/S computer. It
was simply too old and too complicated to function for long
periods of time. Especially if the environmental conditions
changed. One test proved that when the room temperature
went below 14 C (58 F) the computer would stop functioning.
Nevertheless, we gave it a try, I drove the system to the
Hat Creek Radio Observatory in the last week of June 1975 and
piggy backed it to the telescope signal. I was at the end of
my work at SSL at that time and left the lab a week later.
The system did not continue to function. It was going
to be several years later that the system actually functioned
with a new computer and the work of Dr. Jill Tarter and
became SERENDIP I.
-- Hiram Clawson - www.hiram.ws |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
|---|
New astronomical discoveries all the time indicate that
the universe creates the chemicals and conditions for
life in abundance. Our existence is evidence that it
works. Someday we will find the others. It is
inevitable. It will not be easy though. I'm in the
game for the long haul.
During my job at The Santa Cruz Operation, I obtained
financial support from SCO for the project, and obtained
permission from my supervisors to volunteer my time for the
project. I became the manager of the client porters and
continue with that function today. I manage the contents
of the
command line client download WEB page:
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/unix.html
I am currently available for work as a Senior Software
Engineer, or Software QA Engineer in the Santa Cruz CA area.
http://www.hiram.ws/resume.html
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