Handheld Starlink Tracker

The growing array of overhead Starlink satellites promise to bring high-speed Internet connectivity to remote areas of the Earth. It’s an exciting development, and as something in its infancy, there’s a very good chance that you don’t (yet) have the proper receiver to log on to Hackster et al via these orbiting wonders.

As shown by Gabe Emerson in the saveitforparts video below, you don’t actually need an official receiver to track these low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, just a rather modest assembly of RF and Raspberry Pi components. Emerson’s build stuffs a Raspberry Pi and a software-defined radio (SDR) into a small housing, along with supporting components that may or may not be handheld to the outside.

Running Gqrx SDR software on the Pi and using an LNB, or low noise block downconverter similar to what you’d see on the end of a satellite dish, he’s able to detect a number of Starlink satellites passing overhead. Their movement with respect to the Earth, and the corresponding doppler shift is indicated by the angled patterns displayed on Gprx. Of course, this project doesn’t actually transfer data back and forth over the Starlink network, but simply picks up on the satellites' KU-band tracking signals.

As explained around 2:45, he’s using a universal LNB that’s able to pick up on a wider frequency range that what you’d find on commercial units common in the US. Also, the fact that Starlink satellites orbit at a much lower distance from the Earth than typical TV satellites means that he’s able to do this tracking without an actual dish, or apparently even careful aiming.

While he may still have to rely on terrestrial Internet signals for the time being, it’s still very cool to be able to reach out and “touch” these devices, even if just to see what's going on!