Building a SatNOGs Ground Station in Egypt

Project Overview

Project: Development of a SatNOGs fixed ground station with two Power Distribution Units (PDUs) to support a future rotator system.
Organization: Outlyer.space
Timeline: February – September 2025 (~30 weeks)

Introduction

This post documents the final build of a SatNOGs omnidirectional ground station in Egypt, created during my internship with Outlyer.space.
Originally planned as a 5–6 week project, it evolved into a 30-week effort due to hardware challenges, shipping delays, and power distribution issues.

If you’re new to SatNOGs, it’s an open-source, global network of satellite ground stations. This project gave me hands-on experience with antennas, SDRs, and ground station operation — as well as navigating Egyptian customs for importing electronics.

Software Setup

The software stack follows the SatNOGs deployment model:

Prepare the Raspberry Pi
- Download the SatNOGs 64-bit stable image from the SatNOGs Raspberry Pi Image Repository.
- Verify the image integrity using SHA256.
- Flash the image to the SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager:
  - Select your Raspberry Pi model.
  - Provide the image path.
  - Configure Wi-Fi, locale, SSH, and create a user account.
Initial Boot
- Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi and power it on.
- Login with the credentials set earlier.
- Update the system:
  - sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Install & Configure SatNOGs Client
- Run sudo satnogs-setup to start the configuration menu.
- Register on SatNOGs Network and obtain your API token.
- In satnogs-setup, enter:
  - SATNOGS_API_TOKEN
  - SATNOGS_STATION_ID, LAT, LON, ELEV
  - SATNOGS_SOAPY_RX_DEVICE = driver=rtlsdr
  - SATNOGS_RX_SAMP_RATE = 2.048e6
  - SATNOGS_RX_GAIN (adjust per satellite)
Gain Calibration
- Connect the SDR and use a tool like CubicSDR to experiment with gain and noise levels:

(Extra) Desktop Enivroment - The SatNOGs images are server optimized with no GUI enviroment. To install a desktop enviroment run: - sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade –y to update the system - sudo apt install raspberrypi-ui-mods –y install Raspberry Pi PIXEL Desktop - Enable GUI on boot: - sudo raspi-config - Go to System Options > Boot / Auto Login - Choose Desktop Autologin or just Desktop

Hardware

Bill of Materials

Component	Model / Link	Purpose	Price (USD)
Antenna	Bingfu Omni, VHF (136-174 MHz) & UHF (400-470 MHz)	Receiving satellite signals; suitable for non-rotary builds	10.00
Low Noise Amplifier (LNA)	NooElec Inline LNA v2	Signal amplification	35.00
SDR Receiver	NooElec NESDR SMArt v5	RF signal reception	37.95
Controller	Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB)	Running SatNOGs client software	93.80
Power Distribution Unit (PDU) 1	DeskPi DC PDU Lite	Original PDU for 12 V / mixed loads	50.00
Power Distribution Unit (PDU) 2	52Pi 4-Channel 5 V PDU	Stable 5 V power for Raspberry Pi and peripherals	17.50
Rack Mount	DeskPi RackMate	Enclosure for station hardware	80.00
Bracket	DeskPi DP-0039 Bracket	Mounts Raspberry Pi + new PDU	40.00
Display	GeeekPi 10.1-inch LCD Screen	Display screen for desktop environment	69.99

The final hardware build integrates dual PDUs to solve earlier power issues:

Antenna: Omnidirectional, mounted on the building roof.
Signal Chain: Antenna → LNA → NooElec SDR → Raspberry Pi 5.
Power:
- The original DeskPi PDU remains for 12 V and mixed loads.
- The new 52Pi 5 V PDU exclusively powers the Raspberry Pi, LNA, and LCD screen.
- Both the Pi and PDU are mounted using the DeskPi DP-0039 bracket for stability and modularity.

Assembly

First, assemble the DeskPi Rackmount following the included 14-page manual (6 steps). A YouTube guide is also available, though not necessary due to the straightforward assembly.

Next, install the DeskPi Rackmate 10-inch 1U Rack, designed for the Raspberry Pi 5. It provides a robust and efficient housing solution for both the EP-0249 PDU(52Pi 4-USB Channel PDU) and Raspberry Pi. Connect the 52Pi 4-USB Channel PDU to power the 5 V components, LCD screen, LNA and Pi.

For more information about the EP-0249 PDU, consult the wiki — it includes detailed information on the built-in Raspberry Pi Pico I²C LCD display of the PDU.

Finally assemble the LCD Display and place it on top of the mount, wire everything together and your station should be up and running. If not checkout the trouble shooting page of the SatNOGS Wiki, https://wiki.satnogs.org/Troubleshooting.

This configuration isolates sensitive 5 V components, ensures stable operation, and leaves room for a future rotator upgrade without redesigning the power system.

Challenges & Lessons Learned

While the final build works reliably, the path to get here involved several challenges:

Shipping Delays
- Importing electronics to Egypt often took weeks per component. This extended the timeline far beyond the initial 6-week plan.
Power Delivery Issues in the First Build
- The initial setup used only the DeskPi PDU Lite.
- Its ~0.4 V drop per channel prevented the Raspberry Pi from booting even with a 10 A adapter.
- DeskPi support confirmed it was not intended for 5 V loads, prompting the switch to the 52Pi PDU.

These lessons underscore the importance of local sourcing and voltage verification when designing ground stations.

Performance: NOAA Satellite Reception

From a 5th-floor urban location, an omnidirectional antenna has limited reception compared to directional or rotator-based systems. However, the station successfully captured faint NOAA signals visible in the waterfall plot below:

Useful Links

Thanks for reading! Feedback and suggestions from the SatNOGs community are very welcome — especially regarding improving reception from an omnidirectional setup in an urban environment.