This Open Research Institute (ORI) project meetup covers recent progress and future plans across software development, remote lab operations, and regulatory affairs. The team discusses significant advancements in the "Opulent Voice" user interface in preparation for upcoming demonstrations at events like DEF CON. A detailed technical update on the Earth-Venus-Earth (EVE) communication project highlights the challenges of Venus's rotation on coherent signal integration, potentially limiting data rates. The group also addresses key regulatory matters, including their formal objection filed with the FCC against the commercial use of the 70 cm amateur radio band. The meeting concludes with an overview of upcoming presentations at several conferences, plans for the next newsletter, and a call for community contributions.
ORI Project Meetup: EVE Communications, FCC Filings, and Opulent Voice Demos
0:30 Remote Lab & Opulent Voice Progress: Paul reports the remote lab is operating without hardware issues. Significant progress has been made on the "Opulent Voice" user interface, though many small bugs are being identified and addressed.
1:33 Regulatory Concerns Regarding 70cm Band: Pete discusses AST & Science's (ASTS) use of the 70cm ham band for commercial satellite links. He notes their interference analysis filed with the FCC is flawed, as it only considers UHF radars and not the actual weak-signal work done by amateurs.
2:51 Technical Challenge: Earth-Venus-Earth (EVE) Communications: Pete details the "one step forward, two steps back" progress on the EVE link using M-ary FSK modulation.
Key Finding: The rotation of Venus limits the coherent signal integration time to less than half a second, which negates many benefits of the advanced modulation scheme.
Takeaway: The project may be limited to a data rate of 20-30 bits per hour. While extremely low, this is still considered a major success for such a difficult communication path, representing true communication rather than just signal detection.
9:15 FCC Action on 70cm Band: ORI has officially filed comments with the FCC, objecting to the commercial use of the 70cm band by ASTS. They coordinated with ARRL and other amateur organizations, contributing to over 1,400 comments filed on the proceeding.
10:50 "Opulent Voice" Demo Preparations: The team is intensely working on the "Opulent Voice Radio Human Radio Interface" for upcoming demonstrations. This is an open-source uplink protocol intended for ORI's Hyperia satellite and the wider community.
Key Detail: The current focus is on refining the web-based user interface. It is not yet connected to the physical modem, so the initial demo will likely be computer-to-computer over the internet.
11:24 Upcoming Events and Outreach: ORI will be demonstrating their work at multiple events, including DEF CON, Pacificon, and the AMSAT-DL symposium in Germany. They will also present their dynamic spectrum sharing research at the FCC's Technological Advisory Council (TAC) meeting.
16:26 Community Engagement & Newsletter: The July newsletter is scheduled for release soon, with an August issue planned to cover the results from DEF CON. ORI encourages community members to submit articles for their "Inner Circle" newsletter to showcase other open-source digital radio projects.