MAVERIC has an open beacon that is operating intermittently throughout the orbit after launch.  This page provides information for operators around the globe to track MAVERIC and capture a beacon, and then convert it into digital information.  We would be grateful if any/all operators could send this information to our central ground station e-mail so we can constantly update the satellites status and health.  This page will also have the latest TLE listed, but please check it each day for updates.

Satellite Name:  MAVERIC
NORAD ID (at launch):
Downlink Frequency:  437.575 MHz (UHF, 70 cm band)
Bandwidth:  ~20 kHz
Antenna Polarization:  Circular
Beacon Interval (at launch, but may change over time):  ~3 minutes
Transceiver:  GomSpace NanoCom AX100
Modulation:  GFSK (Gaussian FSK), BT = 0.5, NRZ, MSB-first
Baud Rate:  9600 bps (nominal)
Framing:  AX100 “Mode 5” — ASM + Golay (0x930B51DE sync word, Golay(24,12) length field)
Forward Error Correction:  Reed-Solomon (255,223), CCSDS, with CCSDS data scrambling
Decoder:  gr-satellites “AX100 ASM+Golay” (provided in MAVERIC_beacon_decoder.zip)

Latest TLE (check weekly for updates):

[TLE line 1 ]
[TLE line 2 ]

How to capture and decode a beacon:

You will need an RTL-SDR (or any SoapySDR receiver) and a UHF antenna, plus our decoder package.  Everything you need is in one download on this page:  MAVERIC_beacon_decoder.zip.

1.  Download MAVERIC_beacon_decoder from this page and unzip it.
2.  Install GNU Radio with gr-satellites, one time.  The easiest way is the radioconda distribution, which bundles everything.  Install it from https://github.com/radioconda/radioconda-installer, then open a new terminal and run  gr_satellites –version  to confirm it works.
3.  Plug in your dongle, point your antenna at MAVERIC during a pass, and run  python3 MAV_BEACON.py.  It tunes to 437.575 MHz automatically and can be launched from any folder.  Each decoded frame is written to maveric_beacon.log next to the program, one line per frame as a timestamp followed by the hex.  Press Ctrl+C after the pass.

To decode a recording instead of live radio, open MAV_BEACON.grc in GNU Radio Companion and switch the source from the RTL-SDR to the File Source; the included README has the details.

A note on Doppler:

MAVERIC transmits a fixed 437.575 MHz, but because the satellite is moving relative to you, your station receives the signal shifted by up to about 10 kHz over a pass, so your receiver has to account for it.  For coverage across the whole pass, the decoder works with Gpredict:  load MAVERIC’s TLE into Gpredict, point its Radio Control at the decoder (localhost, port 7356) and Engage, and Gpredict will steer the tuning automatically.  The included README has step-by-step setup.  Without Gpredict a fixed tune still decodes most of a pass, best near the highest point of the pass.  If you can see the signal but get no decodes, your dongle may be off-frequency, and you can use the freq_corr or freq_offset settings to compensate.

Sending us your catch:

Please decode the beacon and send the decoded frames to our e-mail, [email protected].  Attach your maveric_beacon.log file, or paste the stdout hex lines into the e-mail, and include the time in UTC, your location or grid square, and the frequency you observed.

Thank you for helping us track MAVERIC!