Hi all,
How about a compromise? There's an old DOS program that I used many years ago that printed out a chart, one line per satellite per pass, sorted by time. One page would hold several days worth, depending on how many satellites you wanted to track. Not as compact as the chart I think Bob has in mind, but just enough detail to work out when to start waving the aluminum around. I used to run it for the month and save the output on my palmtop, for handy reference.
The program was PCTSCAN.EXE, part of the PCTrack package (PCT214). It has some Y2K issues, but I've got a patch program that I think still works to fix the database. I've got the program and such posted on my web site, if you're interested. http://home.wavecable.com/~ko6th, about 1/3 of the way down the screen (31 March, 2002).
The output looks like this:
P C T S C A N PC-Track Satellite Pass Summary Utility Version 1.0 12/2/91 Copyright (c) 1991 Thomas C. Johnson
Scan Report for Auburn
OBJECT AOS AOS CPA MAX LOS TIME IN PASS NAME DATE TIME TIME ELEV TIME RANGE DIRECTION (LOCAL) (LOCAL) (LOCAL) (LOCAL) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AO-27 10/19/2009 17:07:22 17:15:11 80.1 17:22:32 00:15:09 NORTHWARD ISS 10/19/2009 18:40:09 18:44:17 24.8 18:48:10 00:08:01 SOUTHWARD AO-27 10/19/2009 18:49:33 18:55:20 9.9 19:00:47 00:11:13 NORTHWARD AO-16 10/19/2009 18:54:49 19:01:52 23.7 19:08:29 00:13:39 NORTHWARD ISS 10/19/2009 19:57:37 20:01:59 45.2 20:06:05 00:08:28 SOUTHWARD AO-16 10/19/2009 20:33:22 20:40:58 41.0 20:48:07 00:14:44 NORTHWARD ISS 10/19/2009 21:16:15 21:20:07 14.4 21:23:44 00:07:28 SOUTHWARD FO-29 10/19/2009 21:18:24 21:26:38 33.3 21:35:46 00:17:21 SOUTHWARD AO-16 10/19/2009 22:19:02 22:21:18 1.0 22:23:21 00:04:19 NORTHWARD ISS 10/19/2009 22:35:11 22:38:38 8.8 22:41:51 00:06:40 SOUTHWARD GO-32 10/19/2009 22:37:10 22:43:17 12.6 22:49:02 00:11:51 NORTHWARD FO-29 10/19/2009 23:03:34 23:11:40 39.5 23:20:46 00:17:12 SOUTHWARD ISS 10/19/2009 23:53:33 23:57:11 11.2 00:00:35 00:07:01 SOUTHWARD GO-32 10/20/2009 00:14:38 00:22:35 79.8 00:30:04 00:15:25 NORTHWARD FO-29 10/20/2009 00:51:08 00:55:26 3.9 00:59:40 00:08:31 SOUTHWARD ISS 10/20/2009 01:11:18 01:15:29 27.1 01:19:25 00:08:06 SOUTHWARD GO-32 10/20/2009 01:57:36 02:03:16 8.8 02:08:35 00:10:58 NORTHWARD ISS 10/20/2009 02:29:04 02:33:21 48.4 02:37:21 00:08:17 SOUTHWARD ISS 10/20/2009 03:47:40 03:50:42 6.6 03:53:32 00:05:51 SOUTHWARD AO-10 10/20/2009 04:13:01 11:27:40 50.1 14:27:47 10:14:45 SOUTHWARD AO-27 10/20/2009 05:21:53 05:29:28 36.0 05:36:36 00:14:43 SOUTHWARD AO-27 10/20/2009 07:01:41 07:08:53 27.0 07:15:40 00:13:58 SOUTHWARD AO-16 10/20/2009 07:08:19 07:13:37 7.6 07:18:36 00:10:16 SOUTHWARD FO-29 10/20/2009 07:33:19 07:38:47 8.9 07:43:55 00:10:36 NORTHWARD AO-27 10/20/2009 08:45:19 08:46:33 0.2 08:47:41 00:02:21 SOUTHWARD AO-16 10/20/2009 08:46:03 08:53:49 77.7 09:01:08 00:15:05 SOUTHWARD FO-29 10/20/2009 09:15:09 09:23:00 79.9 09:30:23 00:15:13 NORTHWARD AO-16 10/20/2009 10:26:18 10:32:26 13.1 10:38:12 00:11:53 SOUTHWARD GO-32 10/20/2009 10:56:30 10:58:58 1.2 11:01:15 00:04:44 SOUTHWARD FO-29 10/20/2009 11:03:04 11:08:46 9.3 11:14:08 00:11:04 NORTHWARD GO-32 10/20/2009 12:32:35 12:40:21 41.6 12:47:40 00:15:04 SOUTHWARD GO-32 10/20/2009 14:12:55 14:20:05 24.3 14:26:49 00:13:53 SOUTHWARD AO-27 10/20/2009 15:04:09 15:08:25 4.7 15:12:26 00:08:16 NORTHWARD AO-27 10/20/2009 16:39:11 16:46:49 46.8 16:54:00 00:14:49 NORTHWARD
Greg KO6TH
From: bruninga@usna.edu To: steve@daniels270.eclipse.co.uk Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:02:44 -0400 CC: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: volunteering (Mobile Satellite PAPER Predictor)
I think the following site does pretty much what you are asking http://www.heavens-above.com/
Actually, that is really quite different. That does what all tracking programs historically do... That is, they produce VOLUMINOUS precise predictions for every pass for every day. TO carry such an output in your car for a month would be about 30 sheets of paper.
The small piece of paper that my proposal outputs is a single piece of paper with about 10 numbers on it, no bigger than about 2" by 3" suitable for taping to your dashboard above your radio. Yet that tiny square of paper can be used to estimate ALL pass times for ECHO (AO51) for one or more months, before needing to be replaced.
Thanks Bob, WB4APR
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@usna.edu] Sent: 20 October 2009 18:06 To: bruninga@usna.edu; 'Steve Daniels'; amsat-bb@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@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Robert
Bruninga
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:56 PM To: 'Steve Daniels'; amsat-bb@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
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