Radio amateurs in Hyderabad have developed low-cost equipment to communicate via the geostationary satellite QO-100 amateur transponder

A group of Radio Amateurs in the city are literally making waves after they succeeded in indigenously designing and testing low-cost equipment that could help the Hams communicate via QO-100 geo-synchronous satellite.

In what is certain to be a game changer for the radio amateur community, five Hyderabad-based Ham operators have made prototypes of down and up converters for the QO-100 satellite. Use of this equipment, would enable any Ham operator in practicing satellite communication, which hitherto would have forced them to invest heavy amounts.

Normally, one needs to use the Software Defined Radio (SDR) receiver just to listen to the conversations happening on the satellite or use a transceiver to communicate. These receivers or transceivers are expensive and the branded equipment could cost more than a lakh. The Hyderabad team of Ham operators, adept in homebrewing, have designed a functional down converter, an up-converter and successfully used them for having QSOs (conversations) with other Hams.

Media Story - https://telanganatoday.com/hyderabad-hams-develop-low-cost-transverter-for-qo-100-satellite

QO-100 information - https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/geo/eshail-2/