An IoT Ground Station: Mechanics, Control, Antenna, and Reception from a LoRa Satellite Network

In this article, the design and the integral implementation of a satellite ground station connected to the Internet of Things is presented. The communication system is based on long-range wireless technology, with the objective of receiving telemetry packets from a network of low-arth orbit satellites that transmit at frequencies around 433 MHz. The design covers mechanical design aspects, the control system, the antenna system, and the receiver. The ground station is oriented with respect to the elevation and azimuth coordinates obtained from a web page. This web page contains a console that shows the telemetry packets that have been received, as well as the satellite from which they came. The ground station is a low-cost proposal since commercial ground stations could be purchased at prices much higher than 2 orders of magnitude. All these aspects implied in this easy-to-replicate ground station are especially relevant in educational terms and for amateur radio enthusiasts.