[Ground-station] Meetup tomorrow 9 September 1000 US Pacific

[Michelle Thompson]

When finished uploading, meetup video recording will be here:
https://youtu.be/kznrk60zcp0

-Michelle Thompson

Summary:

The meeting focused on updates and progress related to FPGA designs and
implementations. Aaron reported on porting the DVBS2 encoder to OpenCPI,
overcoming issues with VHDL 2008, and creating a block design wrapper with
external inputs and outputs. He plans to implement the Evariste's (F5OEO)
logic in OpenCPI, initializing modulators and constellation registers. Data
Flow Timing and Analysis with Opulent Voice Paul discussed the progress
made in addressing timing issues related to the flow of data from the
encapsulated network interface through software and hardware components to
the modem in the FPGA. He explained that the current focus is on ensuring
timely data transmission without adding excessive latency or missing
deadlines, and he has implemented a new plan that appears to be working
effectively. Paul also mentioned that he has successfully used the Maia
project, a Pluto-based software, to conduct fast spectrum analysis and
capture, which has helped identify gaps in the spectrum that were
previously undetectable. The next steps involve testing the receiving
capability, after which on-air testing will be conducted, marking a
significant milestone for the project. Pluto USB Interface Challenges Paul
discussed challenges with the Pluto's USB interface and explored solutions
for network data transmission. He mentioned ordering a USB tracing device
to capture raw USB transactions and potentially switch to a Pluto clone
with Ethernet support. Paul also acquired a Libre SDR, which has four
ports, Ethernet, and a larger FPGA, as a potential improvement over the
original Pluto. Michelle highlighted the resolution of latency issues and
improvements in software performance, with Paul confirming that the system
now operates smoothly without gaps. Transmitter Testing and Debugging
Progress The team has made progress in testing the transmitter and modem,
successfully demonstrating PRBS data transmission over the air with 0%
error. However, they identified issues with external data transmission,
including potential HDL problems and error starvation in the loop tracking
system. The team is working to create additional test benches for both PRBS
and external data modes, and is investigating the cause of garbled received
data despite proper timing recovery. They plan to continue debugging and
optimizing the system, with a focus on proportional and integral controller
gains. BitBanger Radio Project Updates Evan reported progress on building a
clamshell case for his BitBanger radio project, which will include an audio
amplifier. Rick shared updates on his recent activities, including a club
picnic and data collection efforts at Haswell (DSES). He discussed swapping
out hardware and software modules to improve data analysis results, but was
not satisfied with the improvements. Rick plans to conduct further analysis
using the Virgo data collection system and update his Ubuntu software to
resolve various issues. Crab Pulsar Detection Experiment Rick reported on a
successful experiment detecting the Crab Pulsar, achieving a sensitivity of
550 millijanskys, which he described as "significantly below typical
working levels". (Indeed!) He noted that the pulsar was stronger at lower
frequencies around 387 MHz, using a B210 SDR synchronized with GPS time.
Rick expressed frustration with new radio modules' RF gain control
capabilities and considered swapping out the smaller SDRs for a B210 SDR,
despite its higher cost, as it would provide more data capture information.
He planned to analyze Virgo data first before potentially traveling to
Haswell with Paul and Ray. Spectrum Analyzer Troubleshooting Update Rick
discussed troubleshooting a Spectrum Analyzer that stopped working,
initially blaming power supply issues but eventually discovering the
problem was with a short circuit on the board. Despite fixing the power
supplies and boards, the Spectrum Analyzer remained non-functional. Signal
Modulation and Radar Experiments The group discussed upcoming experiments
with signal modulation and encoding. They reviewed Ed Friesma's application
for the Analog Devices Phaser Project, which aims to use a phased array to
characterize 10 GHz radar installations, potentially with weather radar
organizations. The team also discussed their late summer newsletter and
upcoming events, including the AMSAT-DL (Germany) Symposium and Pacificon,
where they will present communications work including Earth-Venus-Earth
communications and link analysis. Paul mentioned the remote lab's
capabilities for transmitting on any frequency from IQ samples and his
plans to capture and replay packet scenarios for automated testing. Remote
Lab South equipment has been used for Opulent Voice investigations and the
performance is significantly upgraded compared to the older Remote Lab West
VMs.


On Mon, Sep 8, 2025 at 9:06 PM Michelle Thompson <
mountain.michelle at gmail.com> wrote:

> projects meetup tomorrow at 1000 US Pacific
>
> Open Research Institute, Inc. is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting!
>
> Topic: ORI Projects Meetup
>
> Time: Sep 9, 2025 10:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada)
> Join Zoom Meeting
> https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88548057027?pwd=wh3bxRfBjVkGC8HHlaPLUl0maTWQav.1
>
> Meeting agenda
> https://docs.zoom.us/agenda/doc/5d2de952-8121-4728-9f25-35e6584c764b
>
> Meeting ID: 885 4805 7027
> Passcode: 898677
>
> ---
>
> One tap mobile
> +16694449171,,88548057027#,,,,*898677# US
> +17193594580,,88548057027#,,,,*898677# US
>
> Join instructions
>
> https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/88548057027/invitations?signature=r9Ao9Wl_IkaF2HOLKp82v0iOWqpDAxofhANRlsRJHC0
>
> Everyone welcome.
>
> 1. EVE2026 content for AMSAT-DL Symposium - challenging link! anything
> that anyone wants said at the Symposium, please let me know. Probably
> @Thomas Telkamp and @Pete Wyckoff would be the most likely to have some
> agenda items.
>
> 2. Opulent Voice Dialogus report from @kb5mu
>
> 3. PI Gain search results and modem health report - learn about error
> starvation with me and have fun doing it :D
>
> 4. Single NCO design? There's some content about this in #opulent-voice
> and it needs a lead.
>
> 5. Ed has applied for the Phaser project so send good wishes and if you'd
> like to join, please get in touch.
>
> 6. Late Summer newsletter imminent! Planning for it to go out this week.
>
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