The 64m Parkes Radio Telescope, known affectionately as `The Dish', is now approaching its 60th year of operation. It has receiver systems capable of observing from 700 MHz to 26 GHz with bandwidths up to 3 GHz. The Dish has continued to be at the forefront of radio astronomy and technology research, having had many improvements, including the 13-beam 1.4GHz multibeam receiver which enabled unprecedented surveys of atomic hydrogen in the Southern sky, and helped discover approximately half the known population of pulsars, as well as discovering Fast Radio Bursts. The Parkes Radio Telescope was recognised as a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Pathfinder in 2016, on the basis of Phased Array and Wideband Feed technology development. It also became part of the Breakthrough Listen project, with an initiation of paid telescope time operation, that now also includes time for dedicated follow-up of detections with the Five-hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, FAST. I will present a summary of the current status of the capabilities of the Parkes Radio Telescope, how we are increasing efficiency through new SKA oriented technology, whilst still maintaining science yield. This includes an ultra-wide bandwidth low frequency receiver (700MHz4 GHz, replacing 4 previous receivers), now in national facility operation, a plan for a higher frequency ultra-wideband receiver (4GHz to _2532 GHz, replacing 5 previous receivers), and a cryogenically cooled Phased Array Feed under design (to replace the 13- beam receiver). I will also present our operational model, and how we balance competitive open access science time with purchased telescope time.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Parkes Radio Telescope, Australia, has been in operation since 1961. It is a 64-metre parabolic antenna, with receiver systems capable of observing from 700-MHz to 26 GHz with bandwidths up to 3 GHz, and it is part of the CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF). Parkes has continued to be at the forefront of radio astronomy and technology research, having had many improvements, which enabled unprecedented surveys of atomic hydrogen in the Southern sky, and helped discover approximately half the known population of pulsars, as well as discovering Fast Radio Bursts. Parkes was recognised as a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Pathfinder in 2016, on the basis of Phased Array and Wideband Feed technology development. I will present a summary of the current status of the capabilities, and its science yield, in the context of the developments of SKA oriented technology. This includes the ultra-wideband low frequency receiver, a high frequency counterpart, and a cyrogenically cooled phased array feed.
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