20 Mar 2019

Oscar 100 (geosynchronous satellite) commercial gear

At the moment, most users of this successful geosynchronous satellite transponder are using semi homebrew kit. This often consists of a PLL locked LNB, an ex satellite TV dish and an SDR at the IF, together with an upconverter, which is often based on 2.4GHz wi-fi parts and amplifiers.

As news of its successful deployment spreads, it is likely that more dedicated commercial gear will become available. I wonder who will be first to offer a complete "solution in a box"? I guess someone will combine an upconverter at the right SSB power with a phase locked LNB down-converting to 432MHz. After all, this is far cheaper than an HF beam and tower. With an expected lifetime of 15 years or more, this will appeal to many DXers.

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