[amsat-bb] Fw: HF-HF satellite (OSCAR LOCATOR?)

[R.T.Liddy]

Hi Bob,
The OSCARLOCATOR I have has a page w/overlays for AO-7
and AO-8. The whole document is a tri-fold with explicit instructions
and a history table of OSCAR 1 through Phase IIIA.
I'll color copy it and mail it to you. (It's from 1981.)
Somewhere, I have the Polar Projection Globe Sheets with the mylar
overlays for various RS Birds that came from an early Satellite Handbook.
When I go on a trip, I go to the AMSAT Pass Predictor and enter the Grids
that I plan to be in and copy the data for the Sat's I plan to use. And, when
I get to the location, I find North and set up my Arrow on my Camera Tripod
and start working stations AOS-LOS according to the data. Works great for me
and no computer needed in the field.
73,    Bob K8BL

      From: Robert Bruninga <bruninga at usna.edu>
 To: amsat bb <amsat-bb at amsat.org> 
 Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 10:09 AM
 Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Fw: HF-HF satellite (OSCAR LOCATOR?)
   
>  Sat tracking in the early days was with an AMSAT
> OSCAR-LOCATOR (Rotating mylar discs over a global map!!).

I just googled and there is only one image of an OSCARLOCATOR I can find.
I remember it well, but am confused by this image:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/images/oscarlocator.jpg

I understand the curved trace.  It crosses near the pole at the latitude of
the inclination of the orbit.  And I understand the circular plot which is
angle and elevation from your QTH when placed over your house.  But I do
not understand the straight line scale going nearly vertical and labeled
RS?  WHy is there no curve to it?

And the only other one I found was this:
http://www.studiorite.com/oldindex/images/OscarLocator1sm.jpg

Which looks like it has the orbits of three different satellites, one of
them added on in green marker.  But this one is lacking the AZ/EL circle
for the station.

Is there a better image anywhere that I can use to justify this "minimum
satcom" experiment?

And is this how it worked?  You got the daily zero crossing of the
equator.  Then for the next 24 hours you could just rotate the plastic
overlay by the longitude increment?  ANd increment the time by the orbital
period?

On a trip and without a smart phone, I'd rather do an OSCAR locator then
fuss with a PC...

Bob, WB4APR
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