I have found the AMSAT-US website predictor to be very reliable:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/index.php [2]
At least for the satellites I track.
Get your 6 digit grid locator, plug it in and go.
Steve AI9IN
On 2015-12-21 09:51, Joe wrote:
As in when is a bird gonna come by?
I'm an old timer. Remember the "Oscarlocator?" http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/images/oscarlocator.jpg [1] http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/images/oscarlocator.jpg [1] It never ever failed.
I am seriously interested in getting active again on many of the birds. But unless I fix a problem I am having I won't be I'll go back to EME Oscar 1 or was that Oscar 0? And other weak signal modes.
My problem is. pass predictions. Many of the different sources I try display totally different pass times.
Now I can understand with the two "Programs" I use, ( Orbitron & The tracker in HRD ) if I don't have something set right the pass predictions could be in error. My fault. weven tho I could set up both programs exactly the same. I still get passes that are not the same. sometimes like 1/2 a orbit off. other times even worse the passes are like 1 pass off in other words one program says the pass is just ending, and the other says it is just beginning. But again, this all could be operator error.
BUT............
And there always is a but isn't there.
Web page based trackers, now those should work no matter where you are, and what time your computer says it is true? I mean is a bird is directly over say Chicago, shouldn't every web site show it being over Chicago regardless or where you are or what time your computer says it is? I look at like 4 different pages and they have the same bird in different places. some again 1/2 an orbit wromng, some like 10 minutes different.
What is someone to do!?
Joe WB9SBD EN43
Links: ------ [1] http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/images/oscarlocator.jpg [2] http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/index.php