Weekly Newsletter - October 7, 2025

Highlights

New Satellites

• K4KDR shared a tweet about the ‘new’ Norby satellite from 2020, showing how its FSK & LoRa signals alternate once per minute. 🔗
  https://x.com/scott23192/status/1972470319928742000
• Stefan/OE6ISP reported that a satellite appeared to be radio-silent after checking a wider range with an SDR, finding no signal. G4lile0 expressed disappointment, acknowledging the challenges of space. Stefan/OE6ISP then added that high sun activity could be a factor, sharing a photo related to the topic. 🔗
  
• Joshua announced the launch of Alpha CubeSat on NG-23, scheduled for release from the ISS on November 17th. The ChipSats on the light sail payload will downlink LoRa at 100mW. Because the light sail will fully separate and become a high-drag object, there will be less than 48 hours to collect LoRa telemetry from the ChipSats after deployment. Joshua requested help listening for the ChipSats during this window and suggested creating a separate ‘Alpha Sail’ page. A decoder file was also shared. 🔗
  https://cornell.app.box.com/s/ip2yaiqc5giky7lg4i1t4pntlq59u30g
  
  
• K4KDR expressed interest in listening for the new ChipSats and inquired about their specifications, including the number of satellites, frequency, and payload differences. Joshua clarified that there are four ChipSats in total, all using the same frequency and packet information, with a unique identifier byte. Two ChipSats on each face of the sail are oriented to face the sun, and downlinks are staggered to minimize interference. 🔗
• Craig raised a question about updating ground stations via OTA, noting the discrepancy between the 250916 release from the web installer and the older 2403241 releases available on GitHub. He also mentioned the absence of the ‘autoupdate’ option in the available releases. 🔗

General

• Cole asked about surveillance mode satellites and whether Surveillance-433 is a collection of packets from varying satellites. Dennis clarified that TinyGS stations enter surveillance mode when no supported satellites are overhead, actively searching for new signals or investigating potential new satellites. 🔗
  https://app.tinygs.com/satellitesSurv
• Asad shared that LoRa Gen-4 devices will be more robust to Doppler shift with a 33% margin. Stefan/OE6ISP commented that this mainly affects 800 and 900MHz links where Doppler shift exceeds SX12xx chip abilities, but won’t significantly impact 433MHz due to TinyGS tracking Doppler shift. Asad added that this can also affect 2.4 GHz links and uplink communication for real-world IoT applications. Stefan/OE6ISP inquired about active LoRa 2.4GHz applications for sat to ground communication. 🔗
  
• CTascon asked if shifting to SX1262 for FSK communications is recommended and inquired about antenna recommendations, mentioning a DIY ground plane. Stefan/OE6ISP recommended SX1262 for receiving FSK and noted a ground plane is a good choice. He also suggested that LNA is only useful in low-noise environments and recommended something with NF <1dB, along with a suitable filter, suggesting a Diamond 2m/70cm diplexer as HP-filter. More info about antennas and amps can be found on his QRZ page. 🔗
• Eduardo reported an automatic firmware downgrade from version 250823 to 2506013 and inquired about reverting. He then noted it updated back to 250823. G4lile0 explained that the station entered rescue mode, pushing a safe firmware, followed by an automatic update. 🔗
• K3D_Print asked if TinyGS requires a TLS connection. Stefan/OE6ISP clarified that WPA2-PSK doesn’t use TLS. K3D_Print then reported issues connecting to a local MQTT server despite successful WiFi connection and working MQTT credentials, suspecting another obstacle. 🔗
• gmag11 confirmed that the MQTT server uses TLS. Stefan/OE6ISP then inquired whether TLS is used at the MQTT protocol level, separate from WiFi. gavarres mentioned having issues connecting to the TinyGS MQTT server with a Python script due to a self-signed certificate and requested examples. Helmi suggested using MQTT explorer with credentials and the TLS certificate from the source code. gavarres located certs.h in the source code. gmag11 clarified that WiFi is unrelated to TLS and that MQTT uses TLS for internet privacy. gmag11 explained that the certificate is signed by a custom root certificate to control certificate expiration, requiring the use of their custom CA for proper connection. gavarres acknowledged this and confirmed they now know how to obtain the root CA. K3D_Print inquired about the possibility of local access without internet. 🔗
  https://github.com/G4lile0/tinyGS/issues/256?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Technical Problems

• Corwyn reported receiving a packet with an error after setting up a node in the attic with its antenna. Helmi suggested the signal might be too weak and recommended finding a better outdoor location with a clear view of the sky. Corwyn mentioned using an inverted V dipole for the 70cm band and discussed weatherproofing and power delivery challenges. Helmi advised using a short, high-quality antenna cable and emphasized the importance of free sight to the sky over antenna height. Corwyn plans to experiment with different setups. 🔗
  
• D mentioned he will try Judhi’s suggestion, without providing further context. 🔗
• M inquired about Heltec v3 868 support and working templates. Stefan/OE6ISP responded that the 433 configuration should work, as it’s labeled ‘150–960Mhz - HELTEC LORA32 V3 SX1262’ in the source code but appears as 433 on the config page. M reported receiving nothing, not even CRC errored packets, despite having a working Lilygo setup. Stefan/OE6ISP suggested the location (UK) might be a factor due to Connectas activity in eastern directions and low passes. M noted the Lilygo works, questioning why the Heltec is silent. After testing, M confirmed test packets could be exchanged, despite the Heltec not picking up random noise like the Lilygo. Stefan/OE6ISP suggested a broken cable/connector, and M planned to try a different pigtail, a problem Stefan/OE6ISP had encountered recently. 🔗
• D mentioned being able to ping stations and access individual consoles, but was having trouble with the passwordless link. They suspected a firewall issue, possibly related to iOS, and planned to test the app on a Linux computer. 🔗
• Stefan/OE6ISP reported that UPMSAT-2 packets had stopped appearing in the log for two days, wondering if there had been a change in the message format. He shared a couple of images related to the issue. 🔗
  
  
• G4lile0 explained that station information is available in real-time for all satellites, including UPMSAT-2, but satellite data has a 48-hour delay to mitigate scraping attacks, which helps cache requests and reduce database load. 🔗
• N6RFM asked about searching for specific satellites received by their station and suggested a satellite exclusion feature. G4lile0 acknowledged that the current satellite selection only applies to the statistics graph and mentioned plans to introduce comprehensive filtering in a future update, requiring substantial back-end changes. N6RFM suggested an interim approach of allowing users to exclude or blacklist certain satellites. SV2HWM mentioned a similar situation and linked to a related discussion. Stefan/OE6ISP suggested excluding satellites by patching the firmware source code, which allows a station to accept only specific types of satellites. N6RFM appreciated the suggestion. 🔗
• Helmi pointed out that the newsletter from today (2.10.2025, 01:00CEST) only contained the headers. 🔗
• Craig reported an issue with the Admin password not being set correctly after resetting a new board. Stefan/OE6ISP suggested using recovery mode to set a new password. Craig confirmed that recovery mode had the same issue initially, but it worked from a MacOS machine instead of Windows. Stefan/OE6ISP suggested it might be browser-related. 🔗
• Craig inquired about updating his older ground station via OTA, mentioning the availability of a newer release through the web installer compared to the GitHub releases. Helmi suggested checking the Beta Firmware thread or provided a direct link to a relevant discussion. 🔗
  https://t.me/c/1448773154/78484/176478
• K3D_Print reported an error indicating ‘lora-chip not found’ and shared details about the kit and configuration being used, including a photo. Stefan/OE6ISP suggested the issue might be due to an incorrect pin assignment or an outdated firmware. K3D_Print confirmed that the problem was solved quickly after following the provided tips. 🔗
  
• Michael_Mrak asked if there were any current issues with the TinyGS website. Stefan/OE6ISP responded that there weren’t any major issues, but they had to re-login. 🔗
• Rafa responded affirmatively, and shared a photo. 🔗
  

Share your setup

• Sard experienced random reboots due to a failed seal on the coax bulkhead adapter, leading to soaked components. After cleaning with IPA and a toothbrush, he removed corroded reset and power buttons, soldering the connections permanently. 🔗
  
  
  
  
• Notsure7 asked if corrosion affected inside the module, highlighting the problem that it keeps going under chips and inside modules where it’s hard to reach. 🔗
• PE2BZ moved to plasti dip for outdoor antenna connectors, finding it effective for protecting connectors and easy to remove. shared a link to the product on Amazon. also shared a photo of the antenna mast in maintenance mode. 🔗
  https://amzn.eu/d/frrp3ZF
  
• Michael_Mrak shared an 868 MHz antenna from a Chinese seller, noting it currently only produces background noise. also shared that the 433 MHz version works quite well, with links to both stations. 🔗
  https://app.tinygs.com/station/A3701_868@222972266
  https://app.tinygs.com/station/A3701_433@222972266
  
  
• Stefan/OE6ISP responded to the antenna setup, calculating the half-wave dipole length and suggesting the cheap antenna/cable combos often have poor gain. Helmi added that the dipole wire is wound, so it may be resonant at 900MHz, but measuring is better than believing. Stefan/OE6ISP agreed and mentioned that a true lambda/4 antenna without coil would need 7dB more gain on 800MHz due to higher free space loss. 🔗
• markmdh mentioned that their setup is working well simply by hanging in the window. 🔗

Balloons

• Aleksander inquired about submitting a KSY file to the TinyGS network or configuring something on their ESP32 ground station. 🔗
• Norbert DB4MV suggested Adam contact Jakub, SP2ROC, a specialist in super pressure balloons for steady flight heights. Jakub uses 70cm LoRa (Europe) or 2m APRS (worldwide) for TRX. More details can be found in German CQ/DL 9-2025, pages 58-61. 🔗

Featured Conversations

• The community discussed the Norby satellite, highlighting the alternating FSK & LoRa signals and providing a link to a visual representation on Twitter.
• Clarification was provided regarding the surveillance mode of TinyGS stations, explaining that it activates when no supported satellites are overhead to search for new signals.
• A user sought advice on resolving packet errors after setting up a node in their attic, leading to a discussion on antenna placement, signal strength, and the importance of a clear view of the sky.
• The community discussed the use of Plasti Dip for protecting outdoor antenna connectors, highlighting its effectiveness and ease of removal.
• An update was provided on the Alpha CubeSat mission, including the upcoming release of its light sail payload from the ISS and the limited timeframe for collecting LoRa telemetry from the ChipSats.

What’s next

Join the TinyGS Telegram channel to participate in these discussions and contribute to the project. Your experiences and insights can help others build and improve their stations!