A related question…Is there some reason we need to carry old, no longer in-use, satellites in these files? This is not about the DOPPLER.SQL file but more about the lists in general as the elements files are full of objects one can never use for communications. For example, when I open the Satellite dialog, I see 200 available satellites. I have my filters setup but there is a big list of essentially no communication use —unless it comes back from the dead and the AMSAT News will tell me that I have no doubt.
I was asking if one could filter the “Available” list but that looks to be just a representation of the files underneath (amateur.txt, cubesat.txt, etc).
Just as we have editors for Doppler.SQL, I think one answer might be to create a new file with the active satellites in it (derived from the AMSAT satellites page). I can then use that my “Active sats” Keps file as my input. I can programmatically build the active sats file from the downloaded elements files. That seems like an easy Perl script I can put on a website.
As far as a feature request (and this is purely for usability), I would summarize it thusly, add a feature where one can list the name of the satellites one wants to see in the Available file. This would be an Active filter. You can enable that with a checkbox to see active sats or all for historical reference. Then even though the program downloads the latest elements, it would only show the satellites in the active file or all if Active is not checked.
Thanks,
Tom Schaefer, NY4I Blog: www.ny4i.com Madeira Beach, FL (Grid: EL87ot)