Doug,
FODTRACK does have a GPS input for the location.
http://ludens.cl/Electron/fodtrack/fodtrack.html
Note that it is a VERY old, DOS program, but according to the web page, with some effort will work with Vista and presumably WIN7. FWIW
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 12:39 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Looking for a G3RUH dish
Speaking of which, can any of the available amateur software packages handle a moving ground station? I'd like to be able to automate the antenna tracking on a boat.
73, doug
On 05-Jan-12 05:55, Greg D. wrote:
Hi Bob,
I'm trying to visualize you driving (bouncing) down the freeway at 70 mph
with a square yard of curved (airfoil!) metal sitting at odd angles to the air flow, trying to aim it at a target you may not be able to see clearly, which is also moving at some rate in another direction, with an accuracy of +/- a half dozen degrees (which is what you get with a dish that size). I had a hard enough time aiming my 30 inch BBQ grill at AO-40, from my nearly stationary house (this is California, after all), with up to date KEPS, a rotor system calibrated earlier against the position of the Sun, NBS-sync'd clock on a Linux PC, and so forth.
Even if you mount the dish inside a camper minivan with a fiberglass roof
(think mobile Radome), I don't see how this is going to work. I've seen you do amazing things, but what are you thinking?
The best use of the dish would probably be to catch the balloon payload as
it falls from the sky...
Greg KO6TH
From: bruninga@usna.edu To: k5oe@aol.com; amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 17:54:02 -0500 Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Looking for a G3RUH dish
Regarding your Cu wire dish... you might look at the Tek Sharp dishes as an easier alternative to "rolling your own."
We are after absolute minimum wind drag. I don't think the Tek dish
would
survive accurate tracking while driving along the interstate at 70 PMPH
to
catch a balloon. And we want it to be a good 3' by 4' dish... Need the gain for the tiny wifi video link...
Bob
I picked one up on ebay about a year ago and put it in my attic...
waiting
for amsat-dl :-)
http://www.plumdragon.com/teksharp/hr_AO-40_products.htm
Drew, I have a spare PF dish about 60 cm, but it is steel, not aluminum like
the
G3RUH. I used it on AO-40 for 24 GHz. Let me know off-list if you want
it.
73, Jerry, K5OE
---- previous message ---- You probably have one of the K5GNA "BBQ" dishes. The G3RUH is a solid
round
spun dish.
73, Drew
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Bruningabruninga@usna.edu Sent: Jan 3, 2012 2:19 PM To: 'Andrew Glasbrenner'glasbrenner@mindspring.com, 'amsat-bb' amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Looking for a G3RUH dish
I'm looking for one of the 60cm G3RUH dishes
Got one, (but not available).
Questions: I measured reflector grid separation as .88 inches which
works
out to be about 0.18 wavelength. I always thought the grid had to be tighter than 0.1 inches to be an effective "surface".
Maybe the difference with almost double the spacing is not that
significant?
(especially for a steel one which would be quite heavy.
Reason I am asking is that I also need another S band dish (at 70 MPH on
the
roof of a tracking van) and we are thinking about building one by using
an
old solid 6' TVRO dish as a form and laying in copper wire and soldering
it
to copper straps. With all that labor, I'd not want to get the spacing wrong.
Bob, Wb4APR
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_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb