· announcements · 3 min read
SignalRange v1.0
Five scenarios. One ground station trainee. Your journey into professional satellite communications starts now.
SignalRange v1.0 is here. Campaign 1 is ready with five full scenarios taking you from complete beginner to junior ground station operator, and I’m sharing the roadmap for what’s coming in 2026.
Meet Charlie Brooks
Campaign 1 puts you in the shoes of a new trainee at North Atlantic Teleport Services (NATS) in Vermont. Your instructor? Charlie Brooks, a senior operator with 15 years of experience who’s seen every mistake in the book and knows exactly how to keep you from making them twice.
You’ll learn ground station operations the way real trainees do-by doing them, making mistakes, and figuring out why things work the way they do.
This isn’t a tutorial that holds your hand forever. The beginner scenarios guide you with detailed explanations. Intermediate scenarios reduce guidance. Advanced scenarios test your ability to work independently under pressure. Just like real training.
Your Mission
You’re joining the Vermont Ground Station (VT-01) to support the TIDEMARK satellite constellation for SeaLink Global Communications - a C-band maritime communications network covering the Atlantic Ocean. Real satellites. Real procedures. Real consequences (in a safe environment).
North Atlantic Teleport Services (NATS) Campaign
Five scenarios that build on each other (with more planned in early 2026), taking you from observation to independent operations at a commercial ground station. You can always restart at the last checkpoint, so experiment freely. Here is an overview of the scenarios included in Campaign 1:
Your first day at NATS. Charlie walks you through a routine health check of the facility while TIDEMARK-1 serves active customer traffic.
Learn what healthy, operational equipment looks like with no time pressure.
Execute your first equipment controls. Power down the RF chain for antenna feed maintenance, then restore the link following proper safety sequences.
Learn why procedure order matters for personnel safety.
A blizzard approaches Vermont. Transfer TIDEMARK-1 operations to the Maine backup station (ME-02) before weather degrades the link.
Learn multi-site operations and make-before-break handover procedures.
TIDEMARK-2 has completed station-keeping. Switch VT-01 from TIDEMARK-1 to establish full uplink and downlink capability with the new satellite.
Master the satellite switchover sequence.
Customer reports degraded service. The spectrum analyzer is configured for beacon tracking - reconfigure it to find the interference source affecting the main downlink carrier.
Learn systematic RF troubleshooting.
The 2026 Roadmap
Campaign 1 is just the beginning. Here’s what’s coming:
Q1 2026 - Campaign 2: European Operations
Charlie transfers to NATS Europe. LEO satellite tracking, multi-contact mission planning, video feed decoding, and Ku-band operations.
Q2 2026 - Campaign 3: Backyard Operator
Charlie's niece teaches you how to track satellites from your backyard. Software-defined radios, SatNOGS, circular polarization, GPS signal tracking, and DIY antenna setups.
Q3 2026 - Campaign 4: Electronic Warfare
Military counter-communications operations. SATCOM denial, redundant hardware management, multi-antenna coordination, X-band.
Q4 2026 - Campaign 5: Signal Hunter
Someone is jamming allied satellites. Find them using geolocation and advanced RF techniques.
Four more campaigns. A complete journey from trainee to specialist.
Free, Open Source, Accessible
SignalRange runs in your browser with no downloads and no fees. No sign-up required to try it out-just jump in and start learning. Create a free account when you’re ready to track your progress across scenarios.
The code is on GitHub under the AGPL v3 license-improvements benefit the entire community.
Want to Contribute?
SignalRange thrives on community contributions. Whether you’re a satellite communications expert, educator, or enthusiast, your input can help improve the simulator.
Join the Discord to discuss ideas or ask questions.
Ready to Begin?
Campaign 1 is waiting. Power up your GPSDO, point your antenna, and start your journey into professional satellite ground station operations.
Theodore Kruczek