[amsat-bb] Re: volunteering (Mobile Satellite PAPER Predictor)

Tue Oct 20 13:36:34 PDT 2009

http://ibcnu.us/ APRS on the iPhone 

http://www.apptism.com/apps?query=prosat  sat tracking on the iPhone

 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org 
> [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Steve Daniels
> Sent: October 20, 2009 2:59 PM
> To: bruninga at usna.edu
> Cc: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: volunteering (Mobile Satellite PAPER 
> Predictor)
> 
> Hi Bob,
> I think the following site does pretty much what you are 
> asking http://www.heavens-above.com/
> 
> If you register there and input your location one of the 
> options is to display a list of Amateur Satellites for a 24 
> hour period. It does list all passes and not just the best. 
> You can use the next button to select the following days. The 
> site developer Chris Peat is very helpful, I am sure he could 
> tweak the page to better suite our needs
> 
> Steve
> G6UIM
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Bruninga [mailto:bruninga at usna.edu]
> Sent: 20 October 2009 18:06
> To: bruninga at usna.edu; 'Steve Daniels'; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Re: volunteering (Mobile Satellite 
> PAPER Predictor)
> 
> Actually, There is another similar WEB page project That does 
> the same thing for ALL mobile operators, Not just those with 
> APRS displays.  It is simpler And only has a single TEXT output:
> 
> Please see the idea on this web page:
> http://www.aprs.org/MobileLEOtracking.html
> 
> PROJECT OBJECTIVE:  Develop a web page that any amateur radio 
> operator can go to that will print out this very simple PAPER 
> tracking device.  It is just a piece of paper with 5 columns 
> for each of 5 days, and on each of those five days, the TIME 
> of the best overhead pass for that users local area (morning 
> and evening).  For ECHO (AO51) this simple piece of paper 
> with 10 times on it can be used for SHOWING the pass times of 
> ALL morning and evening passes for the next 2 or 3 months!  
> 
> You don't need no stinkin computer to always know when AO51 
> is overhead while you are mobile!  Just look at the TIME on 
> the paper for today's date. (ECHO's pass times repeat every 5 
> days)...  Each other satellite has similar REPEATABILITY.  
> Just pring one of these slips of papwer for your favorite 
> satellite, and you will never need to do a prediciton again, 
> yet, will always hve what you need in the car to predict each 
> day's pass times.
> 
> Bob, WB4APR
> 
> 
>  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org
> > [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Robert
> Bruninga
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:56 PM
> > To: 'Steve Daniels'; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: volunteering (Mobile Satellite
> Predictor)
> > 
> > > I would like to volunteer to help out in whatever 
> capacity I can. I 
> > > run my own web server built by myself and a few websites.
> > 
> > Seeing your message, caused me to stop and think, what is the next 
> > thing I think might be valuable to help the general
> amateur
> > radio operators to better operate the satellites?  Again, 
> this might 
> > not be at all what you are interested in, but let me
> have
> > a go at defining a nice project for someone in case this 
> fits anyone's 
> > talents.
> > 
> > PROBLEM:  To play satellites, you need to have a tracking 
> program and 
> > to WATCH it all the time or do PLANNING to know
> when
> > to go play satellites.  Actually, this is so... Past decade.
> > 
> > OBJECTIVE:  What we need is a "service" that continuously
> feeds
> > SAT-IN-VIEW information to everyone in the field right there
> on
> > their radio front panel, whenever any AMSAT is in view.  
> This way, you 
> > can be mobile, or hiking, or anywhere on the planet, and 
> right their 
> > even without ASKING, the information will be PUSHED to you.
> > 
> > SOLUTION:  Actually, this capability has existed since about
> > 1997 on the APRS channel, but it only works where a LOCAL 
> individual 
> > runs either APRSdata or DIGI_NED in the local
> region,
> > and maintains it.  In this case, mobiles, or anyone monitoring the 
> > national APRS channel will receive this INSTANT
> information
> > not only showing any SAT in view, but also its AZIMUTH, 
> ELEVATION and 
> > FREQUENCY of both the uplink and downlink AND DOPPLER!
> > 
> > You can see examples of this system on 
> > http://www.aprs.org/localinfo.html .  Move your slider about
> 90%
> > down the page and look for the paragraph LOCAL SATELLITE
> ALERTS.
> > 
> > This way you don't need any PC, or anything.  But if you are mobile 
> > and if a satellite comes above the horizon in your
> area,
> > and you monitor APRS on your APRS mobile radio, then you will
> be
> > able to work the satellite (also mobile, since we only output the 
> > satellites that are easy to work from a mobile)...  The
> info
> > on the satellite is updated once each minute when it is above the 
> > horizon.
> > 
> > Also, once each TEN minutes a SCHEDULE of any satellites
> coming
> > up in the next 80 minutes is transmitted to the DX LIST inside your 
> > radio, so you can also check for any future passes.
> > 
> > PROJECT:  Rather than having to have 1000 volunteers all over the 
> > world, one in the footprint of every APRS local area have
> to
> > operate and maintain one of these programs (which is why 
> most people 
> > never see these alerts), it would be nice if there was just ONE 
> > central server that fed this data everywhere.  Then only one person 
> > would have to update the server when new satellites were 
> launched and 
> > once every week or so to download new TLE element sets.
> > 
> > ISSUES:  In one sense this would be a great step forward, in 
> > centralizing the generation of this data.  But the problem 
> is, that it 
> > still will not go from the APRS-internet stream back
> to
> > local RF in each local area, unless a local Igate operator
> adds
> > the "server" to his gate-to-RF list.  But at least that is
> much
> > simpler than having to maintain a program.
> > Local AMSAT mobiles who want this feed, just ask their local Igate 
> > operator to add the server, and from then on, whenever mobile, they 
> > will see these alerts.
> > 
> > RESULT:  Every mobile everywhere that is in view of a
> satellite,
> > even without any prior planning, will be alerted to a
> satellite
> > in view, its direction and elevation, its frequency and its 
> Doppler, 
> > right there on the front panel of his APRS radio.
> > 
> > See the web page for what these displays look like on an APRS
> > radio:
> > 
> > Bob, WB4APR
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the 
> > author.
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> 
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