OPULENT VOICE AND HAIFURAIYA
A Working Open-Source Path for the Next GEO Amateur Radio
Open Research Institute (ORI), a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer open-source nonprofit, https://www.openresearch.institute
Submitted to the futureGEO Community Workshop
HAM RADIO 2026, Friedrichshafen
Saturday, 27 June 2026
Michelle Thompson (W5NYV) CEO
Paul Williamson (KB5MU) Remote Labs Lead
OUR POSITION
A digitally regenerative, software-defined GEO amateur radio payload is the right next step after QO-100. And, it is not a leap of faith. ORI is bringing the working open-source hardware and software that proves this path. We are demonstrating the signal chain in Friedrichshafen.
WHAT WE ARE BRINGING TO HAM RADIO 2026
- pluto_msk — OPV uplink MSK modem in VHDL, running on PLUTO SDR clone hardware (AMD Zynq Z-7020). CERN-OHL-W open hardware license.
- opv-cxx-demod — Full C++ Opulent Voice modulator and demodulator for PlutoSDR / LibreSDR. GPLv3.
- dialogus — ARM/Linux application stack running on the Pluto’s Zynq processing system. Production-grade C code.
- Interlocutor — Human-radio interface with web GUI, voice, text chat, slash-command extensions, and full operator workflow. Python. GPLv3.
- dvb_fpga — DVB-S2 transmitter RTL: scrambler, BCH, LDPC, bit-interleaver, constellation mapper, physical-layer framing. All six core components verified in simulation AND in hardware. Frame types: Normal and Short. Constellations: 8PSK, 16APSK, 32APSK. Code rates 1/4 through 9/10. CERN-OHL-W.
This is the uplink, the downlink encoder, the user terminal, and the air interface. All open source, all working, all available for inspection online and in person.
OPULENT VOICE — VERIFIED PARAMETERS
Modulation MSK (Minimum Shift Keying)
Symbol rate 54,200 baud
Frequency dev. +/- 13,550 Hz
Frame duration 40 ms (2168 symbols)
Sync word 0x02B8DB (24 bits, optimized 8:1 PSLR)
FEC Rate-1/2 K=7 convolutional (171/133 octal)
Interleaver 67×32 block with bit reversal
Randomizer CCSDS 8-bit LFSR (x^8+x^7+x^5+x^3+1)
Voice codec Opus, 16 kbps minimum
Transport IP/UDP/RTP, COBS framing
Authentication Per-frame Base-40 station ID + token
HAIFURAIYA — THE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
Haifuraiya (“High Flyer”) is ORI’s reference GEO mission concept. Many single-channel FDMA Opulent Voice uplinks are received by the satellite, demodulated on board, and multiplexed onto a single DVB-S2/S2X downlink. Per-frame station identification and authentication enable controlled access without sacrificing amateur openness. The downlink encoder needed for this concept is exactly the dvb_fpga we are demonstrating. Haifuraiya is implemented with a modern and efficient polyphase filter bank and channelizer.
WHY THIS BEST SERVES AMATEUR RADIO
- OPEN. CERN-OHL-W hardware and GPLv3 software. Patent-free codec (Opus). No proprietary vocoders. No low-rate vocoders. No export-controlled IP. Every amateur on the planet can build, modify, study, and improve every block.
- UNIFIED. Voice, text, file, control, and IoT traffic share one frame format with priority queuing. No mode switching. The “additional functions” that Concept 1 wants to add to QO-100+ are already a native part of OPV.
- MODERN VOICE QUALITY. Opus at 16 kbps decisively exceeds legacy 3.2–3.4 kbps digital voice modes (Codec 2, AMBE). Amateurs deserve to hear each other clearly.
- DE-RISKED. The “software-heavy” concern raised against the Digital Innovation Lab concept is answered by FPGA RTL that has been built, simulated, and run on hardware. The heavy lifting lives in fabric, not in CPU instructions.
- STANDARDS-TRACK. OPV PHY parameters and the two-tier C2/payload architecture are being contributed to IEEE P1954.
- ALREADY FLYING TERRESTRIALLY. The full duplex point-to-point Opulent Voice link has been demonstrated end-to-end between PlutoSDR and LibreSDR, and had already flown on RockSat-X. Bringing it to GEO is engineering work, not invention.
WHAT WE PROPOSE
Adopt the Haifuraiya regenerative architecture, with Opulent Voice as the uplink air interface and DVB-S2/S2X as the downlink, as the technical baseline of the futureGEO Digital Innovation Lab. Use the demonstration hardware on the table at HAM RADIO 2026 as the starting point. ORI commits to continued open development, written partnership agreements, and full public availability of every design block.
CONTACT
Michelle Thompson (W5NYV)
ori@openresearch.institute
Open Research Institute https://www.openresearch.institute
All Repositories: github.com/OpenResearchInstitute