Smartphone app antenna pointing???
It seems to me that some smartphones have sensors for elevation and azimuth, and the capacity to calculate those for satellite passes. Has anyone combined all that so that one could just attach the 'phone to the antenna boom and have it indicate where to point it?
This would be particularly useful for the analog sats, since very little attention would need to be paid to antenna pointing.
73, doug
In my opinion, GoSatWatch for the Apple iPhone devices is the winner in this department. The application utilizes the GPS and gyroscopes built into the phone to accurately show you where the satellite is currently tracking in the sky. I tested with exactly what you suggested GoSatWatch on an iPhone 3GS and it was nearly flawless when compared to my nearby laptop running SatPC32.
73, Clayton W5PFG On Dec 28, 2012 1:16 PM, "Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-717-1197" faunt@panix.com wrote:
It seems to me that some smartphones have sensors for elevation and azimuth, and the capacity to calculate those for satellite passes. Has anyone combined all that so that one could just attach the 'phone to the antenna boom and have it indicate where to point it?
This would be particularly useful for the analog sats, since very little attention would need to be paid to antenna pointing.
73, doug ______________________________**_________________ 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-bbhttp://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
I am not aware of such an app for the Android platform, at least not for artificial communications satellites.
Google Sky Map will do that for the Moon, but "Oscar Zero" moves through the sky much more slowly than the Ham sats (as you well know). And even though having the phone point you to a slow moving satellite like the Moon is much easier computationally yhan tracking a fast-moving LEO, I have been a little dissappointed with the pointing accuracy of Google Sky Map using my Samsung Galaxy S2. When the phone figures out which way it is being pointed, it gives a beautifully accurate map of celestial objects in its line of view, but sometimes it seems like the phone's internal compass function is out of calibration.
Bottom line -- it should be doable and has, in principle, been done with the Moon as the satellite of interest, but has not, AFIK, been done for Ham sats.
I agree it could be a handy Android app if it worked well.
73 de W0JT/5 John P. Toscano EL09ro October-May EN34js June-September
On Dec 28 2012, Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-717-1197 wrote:
It seems to me that some smartphones have sensors for elevation and azimuth, and the capacity to calculate those for satellite passes. Has anyone combined all that so that one could just attach the 'phone to the antenna boom and have it indicate where to point it?
This would be particularly useful for the analog sats, since very little attention would need to be paid to antenna pointing.
73, doug _______________________________________________ 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
Satellite AR works like goggle sky maps with the point and identify feature. I played with it a while ago and just downloaded it again. It's free and in the Android market. Maybe it will work for you. I'm not sure if it's all that you want...
Matt, N8MS On Dec 28, 2012 11:39 PM, tosca005@umn.edu wrote:
I am not aware of such an app for the Android platform, at least not for artificial communications satellites.
Google Sky Map will do that for the Moon, but "Oscar Zero" moves through the sky much more slowly than the Ham sats (as you well know). And even though having the phone point you to a slow moving satellite like the Moon is much easier computationally yhan tracking a fast-moving LEO, I have been a little dissappointed with the pointing accuracy of Google Sky Map using my Samsung Galaxy S2. When the phone figures out which way it is being pointed, it gives a beautifully accurate map of celestial objects in its line of view, but sometimes it seems like the phone's internal compass function is out of calibration.
Bottom line -- it should be doable and has, in principle, been done with the Moon as the satellite of interest, but has not, AFIK, been done for Ham sats.
I agree it could be a handy Android app if it worked well.
73 de W0JT/5 John P. Toscano EL09ro October-May EN34js June-September
On Dec 28 2012, Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-717-1197 wrote:
It seems to me that some smartphones have sensors for elevation and
azimuth, and the capacity to calculate those for satellite passes. Has anyone combined all that so that one could just attach the 'phone to the antenna boom and have it indicate where to point it?
This would be particularly useful for the analog sats, since very little attention would need to be paid to antenna pointing.
73, doug ______________________________**_________________ 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-bbhttp://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
______________________________**_________________
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-bbhttp://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Hi
It's on the list of ideas for HamSatDroid but the compass sensors do need regular calibration so cannot be guaranteed to work reliably.
The Galaxy S is really bad at loosing calibration :-(
Dave On 29 Dec 2012 00:38, "Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-717-1197" faunt@panix.com wrote:
It seems to me that some smartphones have sensors for elevation and azimuth, and the capacity to calculate those for satellite passes. Has anyone combined all that so that one could just attach the 'phone to the antenna boom and have it indicate where to point it?
This would be particularly useful for the analog sats, since very little attention would need to be paid to antenna pointing.
73, doug ______________________________**_________________ 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-bbhttp://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (5)
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Clayton Coleman -
David Johnson -
Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-717-1197 -
Matt Severin -
tosca005＠umn.edu