[amsat-bb] Re: Satellites Over US West Coast

[Alan P. Biddle]

Paul,

There are really only three possibilities.  Your QTH, your Keps, or your
system clock.  Fortunately, it is easy to find the culprit.

On the AMSAT predict page, select pass prediction, and then near the top of
the table, "View current location of FO-29."  That will bring up a real time
map.  Look at both maps, and make certain your QTH is correctly displayed on
both.  

Next, compare the AMSAT page position of the satellite with the real time
SATPC32 prediction.  (Both give the Sub-Satellite Points numerically, but
use different conventions.)  The maps are sufficiently different you may
need to wait until the satellite passes some readily identifiable point such
as a coastline to compare.  (Even if your QTH is wrong on one of the
programs, the current position should be correct.  If not, then your system
clock or Keps are suspect.)

If the QTH is good but the current satellite position is not, then on the
main SATPC32 page open the Satellites menu, and then check the Source Files
in the left window.  Make certain it is NASA.ALL and look at the very bottom
where it will give you the date File Date.  It should be today if you
updated it.  It is entirely possible to have a different source file than
NASA.ALL selected.  If it is an old one, then you will see an error.  Right
now, FO-29 agrees exactly on SATPC32, the AMSAT tracking page, and another
program I use.  (The are other issues which apply only to the ISS, but are
not a factor on FO-29 since it is "well behaved.")

There are some more obscure possibilities, but knowing the result of your
tests should allow us to narrow down the possibilities.

73s,

Alan
WA4SCA



 

-----Original Message-----
From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Paul Delaney - K6HR
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 5:18 PM
To: 'Andreas Junge'
Cc: amsat-bb at amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Satellites Over US West Coast


OK now I'm getting somewhere!
My SatPC32 predictions DO NOT match the info on the AMSAT link below!

My location appears to be entered correctly into the tracking program, the
PC clock is correct and the keps are updated against the 'nasa.all' source.

AMSAT shows next FO-29 pass as 22:41:15 - 23:01:29

My SatPC32 shows FO-29 pass as 22:24:00 - 22:33:00

No wonder I don't hear anything!
Now...what could be wrong in my SatPC32 setup to cause this?


Paul Delaney - K6HR
paul.hamradio at verizon.net
http://k6hr.dyndns.org:8080 


Can you hear the beacon on FO-29? You also might have to adjust the uplink
frequency in he CAT menu in SatPC32 to find your signal. 

Do your SatPC32 predictions match the ones from the AMSAT online prediction?

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/

i'd be happy to be on one of the passes to listen for you or transmit.

73,

Andreas, N6NU




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