Overview
Built and operated an ESP32 / SX1278 LoRa receiving ground station for low-Earth-orbit satellite transmissions.
Hardware and RF work
- Constructed and evaluated Ground Plane and QFH antennas.
- Used a NanoVNA to investigate antenna resonance and VSWR.
- Examined packet reception, signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio over satellite passes.
Engineering challenges
Practical performance depends on pass geometry, antenna polarization, tuning and environmental effects. Antenna comparisons should use comparable pass conditions.
Evidence to add
Photographs of the QFH construction, NanoVNA plots and measured reception statistics.