CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch

CalgaryToSpace·CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch·UHF_Antenna_Switch/UHF_Antenna_Switch.kicad_pcb

About the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch PCB

CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch is an open source RP2040/RP2350 PCB design by CalgaryToSpace, published on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license. It is a 2-layer board measuring 157.2 × 60 mm, with 42 components from 22 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the RP2040-Zero, from the RP2040/RP2350 family. Other key parts include the LTC5507ES6 and PAT1220-C-10DB. By type, the board carries 15 resistors, 9 diodes, 5 connectors, 4 capacitors, 3 ICs and 2 transistors.

It belongs with the rf & radio designs in this gallery.

From the project

PCB and firmware for a ground station UHF antenna switch (between high-power uplink and low-noise downlink, via a single antenna)

PCB and firmware for a ground station UHF antenna switch (between high-power uplink and low-noise downlink, via a single antenna).

This is a high-power UHF antenna switch PCB (for separate RX/TX paths), controlled with automatic TX sensing.

Rev 1 PCB works and is deployed at the CalgaryToSpace ground station as of 2026-05-26.

Rev 2 PCB is under development, though it is only a small incremental improvement over Rev 1. Main goal with Rev 2 is to improve the isolation performance.

CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch, from the project README — From the project README

Main components on the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch

LTC5507ES6 PAT1220-C-10DB RP2040-Zero

CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch bill of materials (BOM)

42 components, 22 distinct parts.

Qty	Part	Footprint	Refs
1	LTC5507ES6	TSOT-23-6_HandSoldering	U1
1	PAT1220-C-10DB	RF_Attenuator_Susumu_PAT1220	U2
1	RP2040-Zero	RP2040 Zero	U4
2	2N7002	SOT-23	Q2, Q3
1	Conn_N_Type_Female	Amphenol N Jack 172234	J1
1	Conn_SO-239	Amphenol N Jack 172234	J2
1	Conn_SMA_Female	SMA_Amphenol_901-144_Vertical	J3
1	Screw_Terminal_01x04	TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-4-5.08_1x04_P5.08mm_Horizontal	J4
1	Conn_02x03_Odd_Even	PinHeader_2x03_P2.54mm_Vertical	J5
2	HF3-51	Relay_SPDT_AXICOM_HF3Series_50ohms_Pitch1.27mm	K1, K2
1	SW_SP3T	SW_SP3T_PCM13	SW1
1	SW_Push	SW_PUSH_6mm_H4.3mm	SW2
2	1N4148W	D_SOD-123	D2, D3
7	LED	LED_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder	D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10
3	100p	C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolder	C1, C2, C11
1	100n	C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolder	C10
1	I100N50X4B	I100N50X4B-On-PCB	R1
1	50	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R2
2	100	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R3, R5
2	10k	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R4, R6

Show 2 more

Qty	Part	Footprint	Refs
4	3k9	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R7, R9, R11, R15
5	4k7	R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolder	R8, R10, R12, R13, R14

CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch design files

The KiCad project lives in the CalgaryToSpace/CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch: common questions

What microcontroller does the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch use?

The CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch is built around the RP2040-Zero, from the RP2040/RP2350 family.

How big is the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch PCB?

The CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch measures 157.2 × 60 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch?

42 components, from 22 distinct parts. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.

Where can I download the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch design files?

From the CalgaryToSpace/CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout and the schematic; the links under Design files point to each one.

Can I use the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch design in my own project?

Yes, under the terms of its Apache-2.0 license, which CalgaryToSpace chose for the repository.

Can I test firmware for the CTS-Ground-Station-UHF-Antenna-Switch without the hardware?

Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug RP2040/RP2350 firmware against it before you order a PCB.