The Measuring Tape Antenna That Caught a Satellite
Disclaimer: This project had 3 other members besides myself. Their work was as important as my own. Though I cannot name them here, I would like to acknowledge their effort, and be transparent in that this was group work.
There’s a quiet sort of joy in building something ridiculous — and watching it actually work.
This was very much the vibe behind one of the cooler student projects I’ve ever been part of: building a foldable satellite antenna out of measuring tape. Not metaphorically. Actual steel measuring tape, the kind in your toolbox.
And yes — we used it to receive real weather data from space.
The Challenge: Fitting A Satellite Antenna Into a Shoebox
The idea came from a practical work project in our Satellite Systems course. The professor pitched us this problem:
“Design a deployable Yagi-Uda antenna that could, in theory, fit inside a CubeSat.”
Yagi-Uda antennas are fantastic directional antennas, famous for their gain and reliability. There’s just one problem — they’re long. Too long to fit inside a CubeSat unless you get creative.
That’s where measuring tape comes in.
Steel measuring tape has this perfect combination of being thin, springy, and able to hold its shape once deployed. Roll it up tight for launch — let it snap out in space. Simple. Elegant. Slightly cursed.
Adapting It For NOAA-19
Now, building a VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) antenna for satellites is one thing. Testing it is another. So for this project, we adapted the design to something we could actually test on Earth: receiving signals from the NOAA-19 weather satellite.
NOAA-19 transmits at 137.5 MHz — right in the VHF band — making it a perfect target for a proof-of-concept.
Our design goals were ambitious for a student build:
- Operating Frequency: 137.5 MHz
- Bandwidth: At least 5 MHz
- Gain: Over 8.5 dBi
- VSWR: Less than 1.25
- Polarization: Linear
If none of those words mean anything to you — don’t worry. The short version is: we needed it to be precise enough to catch faint signals from a satellite flying overhead at 27,000 km/h.
No pressure.
The Design: DIY Satellite Engineering
The antenna followed a classic Yagi-Uda structure:
- Reflector (longest element)
- Driven element (connected to the signal line)
- Directors (shorter elements that focus the signal)
All the arms were made from cut lengths of steel measuring tape. The boom holding it all together? Good old PVC pipe, cut to length.
Deployment was mechanical simplicity at its finest:
- Roll up the measuring tape elements
- Let them spring open when needed
- No motors, no fancy hinges — just physics and hope
Simulation work was done using CST Studio, where we optimized the lengths and spacing of each element to maximize gain and minimize signal reflection.
The Build: From Simulation to Reality
And then… we built the thing.
Cutting and sanding down sharp steel edges (so we didn’t accidentally launch tiny knives into space), attaching SMA connectors, assembling the boom, aligning everything just so — it was dirty, hands-on work.
But when it was fully deployed on the lab bench, it looked almost elegant. Industrial. Like a hacked-together alien artifact.
Testing began indoors with a VNA (Vector Network Analyzer), confirming that the antenna’s return loss (S11) matched up beautifully around 137.5 MHz. Exactly what we wanted.
The Big Test: Chasing NOAA-19
The real moment of truth came outside.
Armed with:
- Our measuring tape Yagi antenna
- A low-noise amplifier (LNA)
- An RTL-SDR dongle (essentially a tiny radio receiver)
- And an unreasonable amount of optimism
We tracked the next overhead pass of NOAA-19.
Manual tracking is exactly as chaotic as it sounds. The satellite gives you roughly a 10-minute window, moving fast across the sky. You point the antenna by hand, follow it like you’re fishing for clouds, and hope for the best.
And then — it happened.
The waterfall display on the SDR lit up. The signal was there.
Not long after, we managed to download a real image from NOAA-19: that unmistakable black-and-white strip of clouds sweeping over Earth. Grainy. Imperfect. But ours.
It worked.
Lessons Learned (and a Few Ideas for Next Time)
Were there things we’d improve? Absolutely.
- Deployment could be refined to be smoother and more reliable.
- Circular polarization (matching the satellite’s own signal polarization) would reduce signal loss.
- Better tracking equipment would help avoid the full-body antenna yoga we resorted to.
But in terms of proof-of-concept? This little measuring tape monster absolutely delivered.
Final Thoughts: The Joy of Ridiculous Engineering
If there’s one thing I love about space projects — especially student ones — it’s that they often balance perfectly on the line between absurdity and brilliance.
This wasn’t a million-dollar aerospace clean-room build. It was hardware store materials, simulations, a lot of trial-and-error, and a determination to make it work anyway.
And that’s kind of what space engineering is all about.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this little adventure into weird satellite antennas, feel free to drop me a Follow or a few Claps 💫 — there’s plenty more space nonsense where this came from.
