# TinyGS vs. SatNOGS: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Source Satellite Ground Station Networks
## 4 TinyGS
### TinyGS Ground Station  
The TinyGS ground station is one of the most important parts of the TinyGS project, since it is what allows us to communicate with the satellite. Contrary to SatNOGS, the TinyGS software, at the time of writing, is not made to control rotators for antenna positioning. Consequently, its block diagram does not include a rotator or rotator controller. As an initial step, if one intends to construct a TinyGS ground station with the minimum number of components, the following suffices:  
* Lora Module;
* Antenna.  
However, in this scenario, and contingent upon the antenna's quality primarily, there may be limited or no signal reception due to the inherently weak signals. Therefore, the addition of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) can prove to be pivotal in enhancing signal reception. An example of a block diagram with it is presented in Figure 5.  
The TinyGS ground station is made up of an antenna that is responsible for receiving all signals sent by the satellite. As mentioned earlier, since the radio signal received is very weak, it is recommended to use an LNA to amplify the signal and add the minimal amount of noise possible. The LNA can be powered by an external source or a bias tee. Although the bias tee may be a better solution, it can bring certain issues to the LoRa board, as it can route DC back to the LoRa module, which one can read about on the TinyGS github [9]. To address this issue, it is advisable to incorporate a DC block between the LNA and the LoRa board. This serves as a barrier to prevent the current from reaching the LoRa module [9]. Regarding recommended LNAs, examples include the LNA4 ALL and the Cubestal Filtered Preamp [9]. After the LNA comes the filter, and as was mentioned earlier, it serves to block unwanted frequencies.  
Then there is a LoRa board that has the function of receiving the data sent by the satellite, processing them, and sending them to the network. Conversely, it receives jobs originally coming from the network that indicate the configuration that the GS must have to be able to communicate with the satellite. This LoRa module, in order to send and receive data from the network, will need to be connected to Wi-Fi.  
Finally, addressing a common concern for those new to this field, LoRa operates in different frequency bands depending on the region. For example, in Europe, LoRa mainly operates in the 863-870 MHz frequency band, while in the United States, it operates in the 902-928 MHz frequency band [24]. It is important to understand that these frequency restrictions are applicable only if one intends to transmit signals within these regions. Consequently, if someone in Europe is interested in building a 433 MHz ground station to receive signals, there is no issue. However, it is crucial to emphasize that building a ground station that transmits on 433 MHz requires appropriate licensing. A list of supported  
Figure 5: Block diagram of a TinyGS ground station with an LNA.  
TinyGS LoRa boards can be referenced on the TinyGS GitHub page [9]. If, for any reason, one does not have access to any of the LoRa modules listed, there is an alternative option available. It is possible to use any ESP32 board with an sx126x or sx127x module. However, to ensure compatibility with the firmware, the module must be configured appropriately. This configuration process can be facilitated using templates, as detailed in the \"Board Templates\" section on the project's GitHub page [9].