This Open Research Institute (ORI) projects meetup from September 30, 2025, covers progress on key hardware and software initiatives and reports on strategic international collaboration. Aaron details significant progress in porting the DDS2 encoder to a ZCU 104 platform and setting up a new ADRV 9009 high-performance transceiver. Development of the Opulent Voice framer is discussed, with a strategy of initial rapid prototyping followed by a disciplined modularization of components like FEC and randomization. Paul reports that the coding phase for timeline control in the Dialogus project is complete, with a current focus on documentation.
A major highlight is ORI's participation in the "Future GEO" workshop with AMSAT-DL and the European Space Agency (ESA). ORI's open-source, digital regenerative transponder concepts were well-received, positioning them as a strong candidate for a next-generation amateur GEO satellite payload. The discussion also covered innovative, cost-reducing orbital strategies, such as using the "graveyard" orbit, which received positive feedback from regulators. The meeting concludes with an optimistic outlook, emphasizing a push towards producing demonstrable prototypes by 2026.
ORI Project Updates and Strategic GEO Satellite Planning
00:00:46 DDS2 Encoder & Transceiver Progress: Aaron reports successfully porting the DDS2 encoder to a ZCU 104 hardware platform, achieving control over its IP core registers. He has also acquired and set up a new ADRV 9009 transceiver on a ZC706 board, which will be the basis for a high-performance uplink receiver using OpenCPI.
06:26 Framer Development Strategy: Matthew and Michelle discuss the ongoing work on the modem's framer. The current approach involves integrating functionality (randomizer, FEC, interleaver) directly into the top-level module for exploration, with a clear plan to refactor it into a clean, modular, and configurable architecture.
11:31 Dialogus Project Milestone: Paul confirms that the coding for timeline management and the elimination of race conditions in the Dialogus software is complete. He is now focused on creating thorough documentation before proceeding with the next steps of HDL integration.
14:36 Participation in "Future GEO" Workshop: Michelle reports on ORI's successful participation in a workshop hosted by AMSAT-DL and the European Space Agency (ESA) focused on the next generation of geostationary (GEO) amateur satellites. ORI's approach using digital regenerative transponders (like Hypha and Opulent Voice) was well-received.
17:53 ESA's Prototyping Timeline: ESA has expressed interest in seeing 3-4 different payload proposals, ranging from simple to complex. A key takeaway is that ESA expects to see functional prototypes of proposed systems during 2026, creating a clear goal for ORI's development efforts.
20:13 Testing Opulent Voice on QO-100: There is significant interest from AMSAT-DL in testing the Opulent Voice digital mode over the existing QO-100 satellite, providing a near-term opportunity for over-the-air demonstration.
23:35 Innovative "Straight to Graveyard" Orbit Concept: To overcome the high cost and competition for fixed GEO slots, ORI has proposed using the "graveyard orbit." A satellite in this orbit would drift, offering changing global coverage beneficial for DX operations. This concept has been presented to regulators (FCC) and was met with a positive, non-rejective response.
36:27 Successful International Ground Station Collaboration: The trip to Europe fostered significant collaboration. Using modern SDRs and remote access, engineers successfully linked the Dwingeloo and Bochum ground stations and were able to detect the faint carrier signal from the Voyager space probe at Bochum for the first time in over a decade.