1) Generally repurposed SAT-TV dishes are used on QO-100 and has to be pointed manually, this is a challenge for newbies and even fort more experienced OM,s who have not worked at microwave frequencies as it should be pointed precisely. Some struggled for week just to point their antenna correctly. No beam forming antenna as with Starlink. May be in the future, a nice project ti work on.

2) The LNB is also generrally a repurposed KU-band SAT-TV, even the PLL ones are sometimes up to 1Mhz draft off, when QO-100 transponders was commissioned and the only way to have a stable frequency at that time was to modify the LNB and inject a GPS or TXCO clock. This was quite challenging for many OM’s. Thanks to SDR Console (Simon -G4ELI) it is now possible to use his software which is compensating for the drift by using the beacon as reference. Both solutions also require a minimum of leaning curve and practice.

3) As regards the TX side it is not just buying a transverter for 2.5 GHz or TX capable SDR, but much more as one will have to look at all the chain with the challenges of high losses at that frequency band to find the right solution for his own environment. Basically constructing a TX as in the old good day, this was my feeling when constructing my station. It is quite interesting to see how the OM’s have been inventive on this front and that so many solutions now available but still a newbie on QO-100 will have to build something, it is not just plug and play as seems to be the opinion of some.

4) Now that one got his setup working, probably after a few week of trial an error, even if guided, for the NB (narrow band) transponder a new world is open and he can do most of things we do on other bands and experiment many things such as CW, SSB, digital modes etc. but some do much more experimentation such as new data modes or orbit determination such as Daniel (EA1GPZ) (see vastest: https://twitter.com/ea4gpz/status/1556745194732752896 ), there are much more going on such as experimental data transmission etc… Basically, I am saying that QO-100 enables all aspect of the hobby from just chats with friends to very sophisticated technical experimentations. Just a great playground fully in the radio amateur spirit.

5) The WB (Wideband) transponder is offering much more opportunities for experimenting and trying new modes such as ATV, wideband data etc… For me personally my first ever DATV contact was made through the bird, not going into the technical details I can say that it is quite more challenging to make a DATV QSO at 2MS on QO-100 that on a LEO FM bird. Thus for those who want some technical challenges just go for it.

In a nutshell I totally disagree that with some statement that QO-100 (or eventually other similar GEO birds) are just plug and play not in the HAM spirit. It is actually the contrary as one will have to build his station from scratch and have a world of opportunities to experiment things and also challenge his own technical limits, thus a lot learnings.

On Aug 9, 2022, at 8:58 PM, Joseph B. Fitzgerald <jfitzgerald@alum.wpi.edu> wrote:

"The simple ease of setting up a small ground base to satellite station is easy! "

Exactly.   Consider Starlink.      To set it up is roughly:

1) Set the little antenna array outside somewhere with a clear view of the sky.
2) Run the Ethernet cable to some convenient place to put the WiFi router.
3) Apply power to the router and have a coffee while the array figures out where to point itself and establishes contact with the satellite constellation.

About the time you finish the coffee, your people, including those that are on your payroll, can start exchanging information with whoever they want using the applications they use every day.   By the way those applications are almost universally encrypted, so there are no concerns about sending sensitive medical, security or financial information in the clear.

Can we do at least as well as that?

de KM1P Joe

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