[amsat-bb] Re: Polar Tracking LEO Satellites ... ?

[Rick Tejera]

Rob,

See my article in the April/May issue of the AMSAT Journal. While not
motorized, I'm sure it can be easily adapted to be motorized. 

The basis is a simple Equatorial telescope mount.

If you need a copy let me know. 

Rick Tejera (K7TEJ)
Saguaro Astronomy Club
www.saguaroastro.org
Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club
www.w7tbc.org

-----Original Message-----
From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Rob
Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2013 3:38 PM
To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Polar Tracking LEO Satellites ... ?

I'm looking to put together a quick an easy portable tracking system for LEO
birds .... maybe something for field day use or an ISS school contact ....

Basically looking to do polar tracking with one rotor and a manual set
declination angle ....

Thoughts are:

- rotor that can swing 180 degrees (-90,+90)
- set the rotor to the half way point (0 degrees)
- position the whole apparatus so that it's pointing at the azmith and
elevation of the highest point on the pass
- position the rotor to -90 for a west to east pass or +90 for a east to
west pass
- calculate the length of the pass and time the rotation so it sweeps 180
degrees in that period

I'v been googling this topic till my eyes cross .... saw some data about
folks trying to do polar tracking of Ao-40 a while back ... but that was a
tad different considering Ao-40 is (was) in a high elliptical orbit ...

Does anyone have advice ... or a link to some data .... calculations ...
like how to convert az/el to something like (but not) declination/ra ????

Thanks,

--> Rob, KA2PBT
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