Hi guys, HomePort has launched its alpha version. We are going through internal testing to fix some deployment issues, and we will make the alpha available for a small number of external testers very soon.
We currently have no ground station operators in East Asia, so we will be very happy to get one or two from China! Amateur receivers of satellites in VHF or UHF will be sufficient.
It is also very simple to make a VHF receiver for NOAA weather satellites - HERE is a good starting point how to make a simple V-dipole receiver at 137 MHz.
If you are a ham radio operator or have made/plan to make such a station, feel free to sign-up through our form.
We need a few radio amateurs who either have experience catching signals from amateur-band satellites, or someone interested in constructing a simple receiver station. Once HomePort alpha rolls out, we’ll give these users access so they can test with us. The testing campaign will have competitive elements, so apart from being useful technologically, it could be fun for users too. Maybe some amateur radio clubs in China would be interested.
An RTL-SDR dongle set with the right antenna is enough for a setup for an individual user. This is the best basic set available and also has good antennas, though we haven’t yet tested them for weather satellite receiving.
China is quite large territory-wise so having a few testers from different regions would be perfect.
Hi, AE smart contracts basically seal the agreement between users, and oracles are used to validate some of the parameters set in the smart contract. We are also developing some interesting use cases of state channels, primarily for government users (many of the primary ground stations/satellite data users are governments).
Although I want to try, it is not so easy to realize in China. 137mhz is a professional radio frequency in China, which requires a professional certification body to use.
An A-class license is required for transmissions below 3000 MHz, but a license is only needed if you plan to transmit with your antenna. We only use receivers now and those don’t require a license.
Essentially the purpose is to create a global network of ground-based receivers for satellite signals. The number of satellites in orbit is increasing and with this comes demand for infrastructure back on Earth that can receive the data from these satellites. So we’re building a platform which will enable the decentralisation of this infrastructure, and allow each receiver to be contracted by a satellite owner using a smart contract.
Well satellite owners now sign agreements with existing station operators, but these can be inflexible or often go through an intermediary. We’ve designed a mechanism that allows the satellite owner to enter into a direct agreement with ground station operators under whatever conditions both sides see fit. So smart contracts are a key element here.
