I’m excited to announce that SignalRange is now available to everyone. It’s a hands-on training platform where you can operate realistic satellite ground station equipment, run actual link tests, and learn what it really takes to communicate with satellites in orbit — all through your web browser.

Why I Built This

Here’s the problem: satellite communications is incredibly hands-on. You need to understand RF physics, operate expensive equipment correctly, follow precise procedures, and troubleshoot problems in real-time. But learning on real equipment is risky (break something = $$), access is limited, and textbooks alone can only take you so far.

SignalRange solves this by giving you a complete ground station where mistakes don’t cost thousands of dollars. Power equipment in the wrong order? You’ll see what happens. Forget to lock your frequency reference? The signals won’t be where you expect them. Pick the wrong filter? Your link margin suffers. Every action has realistic consequences, and you learn from all of them.

What You Actually Get

A full RF signal chain with professional equipment:

• GPS Disciplined Oscillator – Learn why frequency stability matters and how atomic-level accuracy keeps your system locked
• Antenna Control Unit – Point a precision dish, track satellites, optimize your gain pattern
• Low Noise Block Downconverter – Amplify weak signals from space while adding minimal noise
• Block Upconverter & High Power Amplifier – Get your signals strong enough to reach orbit
• Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer – Your eyes into the RF world, showing exactly what’s happening at every stage
• Complete OMT and filter banks – Manage polarization and bandwidth like a real facility

Everything uses authentic RF physics. Free-space path loss, thermal noise, phase noise, compression points, polarization alignment, atmospheric absorption—it’s all modeled realistically.

Your First Mission: HELIOS-7

Jump in with the beginner scenario where you’re conducting the first link test with a newly-launched communications satellite. You’ll learn:

• How to power up a ground station correctly (and why the order matters)
• Getting your frequency reference locked and stable
• Finding a satellite beacon in the noise
• Establishing your first uplink without causing interference
• Verifying receive performance and link margins
• When you’ve got a good enough link to declare success

Takes about 25-30 minutes and walks you through everything with detailed explanations. By the end, you’ll have successfully completed a real operational procedure.

Who’s This For?

Students: Turn those equations from your satellite communications course into something you can see and manipulate. Watch SNR actually change when you adjust settings.

New operators: Learn the procedures before you touch real equipment. Build confidence. Understand the “why” behind the checklists.

Engineers: Cross-train on different configurations. Teach your team with interactive demos. Experiment safely before trying something on the live system.

Space enthusiasts: Ever wondered how satellite ground stations actually work? Now you can operate one.

No Installation, No Fees, Open Source

SignalRange runs in your browser. No downloads, no specialized hardware, no sign-up required. Just go to SignalRange.space and start learning.

I’ve made it open source because I believe satellite communications education should be accessible to anyone, anywhere. Want to improve the physics models? Add scenarios? Expand the equipment? Check out the GitHub repository and jump in.

What’s Next

I’m actively working on:

• More scenarios with different satellites and mission types
• Additional equipment (modems, encoders, network interfaces)
• Ka-band, X-band, and L-band frequency support
• KeepTrack integration for end-to-end mission simulations

Try It Now

The satellites are waiting. Head to the app and power up your first ground station.

Questions? Feedback? Want to contribute? Email me at admin@SignalRange.space or open an issue on GitHub.

Let’s make satellite communications training accessible to everyone.