1

FACULTAD DE INGENIERÍA
INGENIERÍA ELECTRÓNICA

“IAA-BR-20-1P-07 A LOW-COST AND PORTABLE STUDENT GROUND STATION FOR TRACKING LEO
SATELLITES TO PROMOTE CAPACITY BUILDING IN TELECOMMUNICATION AREA”.

LUQUE
2020
2 OBJECTIVES

 Implement a Low-Cost Based-SDR receiving

Ground Station for UHF Band, in order to decode
CW signals from GuaraniSAT01.

 Build a Low-Cost Half-Duplex Ground Station for

VHF Band, in order to transmit/receive packet radio
toward/from satellites.

 Promote studying telecommunication through

satellites in schools and universities.

Luis Miranda Kunert

3 Receiving Ground Station Hardware & Software Overview

RX GST Architecture

Downlink Budget – Only Rx Portable GST. We got a SNR of 29dB measuring

CW signals with HDSDR as GUI for SDR dongle as expecting on the link budget.
Luis Miranda Kunert
4 Receiving Ground Station Hardware & Software Overview

CW Message decoded form NepaliSat-1 was “JG6YLF BIRDS3 CW Message decoded from Raavana-1 was “JG6YLG BIRDS3
SHRISA A58080640A” using Morse Code Agent app. RIDVAN FA00FEF143” using Morse Code Agent app.
Luis Miranda Kunert
 Half-Duplex Packet Radio Ground Station Hardware &
5
Software Overview

TX/RX GST Schematic. Option 1: Arduino- Based-Kiss TNC. Option 2: TNC based on Software with Soundcard
Interface (Easy-Digi)
Luis Miranda Kunert
6 Downlink Budget – Tx/Rx Portable GST
ISS for Digipeating currently has and HT Ericsson M-PA
VHF radio lbi-38378c and our GST use HT Baofeng UV-
5R. Supposing the worst case spacecraft transceiver. It
accomplish Eb/No and SNR criteria with 6 and 3 dB link
margin.

Using UISS software Client got successful result

receiving and decoding APRS Beacon from ISS.

APRS is a registered trademark of APRS Software

and Bob Bruninga, WB4APR.
Luis Miranda Kunert
7 Uplink Budget – Tx/Rx Portable GST

NO RESULTs YET !!
NEED IMPROVEMENT
EIRP!!

Supposing spacecraft (ISS) antenna as dipole, and Ts=1000k as worst case due to lack of
data of spacecraft transponder. According to our supposition we got a 7 dB link margin.
Luis Miranda Kunert
8 Ground Station Implementation cost
Receiving Based SDR UHF GST Half/Duplex VHF GST

ITEMS Price ($) (shipment to Paraguay) ITEMS Price ($) (shipment to

Paraguay)

Antenna UNIT Antenna UNIT

437 X 14 Arrow II Hand Held Portable Yagi RHCP/LHCP $100 +$15 Arrow II 146-4BP - 3 Piece Boom $80 +$15
Antenna
(1) Or (2) VHF Band 145MHz Circular Polarized $40
(1) Or (2) UHF Band 435MHz Circular Polarized Homemade $40 Homemade Yagi Antenna
Yagi Antenna
TNC UNIT
Low Noise Amplifier UNIT
(1) KISS Arduino UNO TNC plus electronics components $45 + $10(shipment)
(1) Aimiya 0.01-2000MHz LNA Broadband RF Low Noise $10 +$5(shipment)
Amplifier Module VHF/UHF Gain 32dB
(2) Easy DIGI soundcard interface plus Audio cable, usb $76 + $10(shipment)
(2) HiLetgo 0.1-2000MHz RF Wide Band Low Noise Amplifier $11 +$5(shipment) adapter
30dB Gain
(2) USB Soundcard $10 + $5 (shipment)
Software Defined Radio UNIT
Transceiver / HT / Radio UNIT
(1) RTLSDR V3 Blog R820T2 RTL2832U $25 + $5(shipment)
(1) Or (2) Baofeng UV-5R $38
(2) Noolec NE-SDR Smartee $30 + $5(shipment)
Feedlines, connectors and expendables $20+$13+$16 +$10(shipment)
Feedlines, connectors and expendables $20+$13+$16 +$10(shipment)

Low COST Option (1) TOTAL: $192

Low COST Option (1) TOTAL: $144
Low COST Option (2) TOTAL: $238.6
Low COST Option (2) TOTAL: $150
Based-Arduino Antenna Tracking System – SARCNET [18] $512 + $20 (shipment)
Based-Arduino Antenna Tracking System – SARCNET [18] $512 + $20 (shipment)

Half Duplex VHF Ground Station TOTAL $724

Receiving Ground Station TOTAL COST: $682
COST:

Model 1 and 2- It shows clearly that a low-cost prototype Receiving CW SDR-based station and Packet Radio Ground Station could be
built at affordable prices for universities and School in Paraguay for less than $300. The Arduino-Based tracking system is optional.
Luis Miranda Kunert
 9

Get on
Amazon for
less than $20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjb3FFaNbyQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyqfJRIlAUA
Luis Miranda Kunert
10

Luis Miranda Kunert