  The most successful method used so far to search for extrasolar planets is
the radial velocity technique, where periodical shifts on the measured emission
from a star provide evidence for an orbiting planet. This method has been used
on large telescopes with large and expensive instrumentation, only enabling a
small amount of observing time per star. We have developed a compact
spectrograph fed by one or several single-mode fibres that avoids the need for
complex fibre scrambling or gas absorption cells for calibration. In principle,
this will enable planet searches around bright stars over the next few years.
We aim to pave the way for large networks of small telescopes searching for
Earth-like planets. At a resolving power of R~50000, I have characterized this
spectrograph, determined its stability and the fidelity required for a
simultaneous calibration source.
