Dave - Software recommendations are in the tutorial I cited for you.

Also, there's free info on the Web. HeavensAbove has recently improved their ham sat tracking graphics...and their Web site is also cited in that document.

You need to improve your antenna...the stock -2db rubber duck will not suffice. Again, suggestions for commercial and homebrew antennas are in that document.

Once you get to know the AMSAT grid of numbers, it is easy to figure it all out. FIRST, you need to subtract EIGHT hours from their times, to compensate for GMT.

Type in your Grid Square - DM14 if you're still in Fallbrook, and look what shows up for the Nov 15 pass at 15:51 (that's 3:51PM GMT...which is 7:51PM on the 14th California time).

DATE UTC - 15 Nov 07 AOS UTC - 15:51:14 DURATION - 00:14:20 ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL AZIMUTH - 11 MAX ELEVATION - 86 MAX ELEVATION AZIMUTH - 259 LOSS OF SIGNAL AZIMUTH - 195 LOSS OF SIGNAL UTC - 16:05:34

Take the ACQUISITON OF SIGNAL AZIMUTH and LOSS OF SIGNAL AZIMUTH numbers. They refer to compass points, where North is ZERO, South is 180, East is 90 degrees, and West is 270 degrees. So this pass starts at 11 degrees, darned near true North. And it ends at 195 - a couple degrees West of due South. So you can imagine this pass as practically going over your house, North to South. And because its MAX ELEVATION is 86 degrees - it REALLY IS going straight overhead, as 90 degrees is straight up!

The MAX ELEVATION AZIMUTH tells you where the satellite is at mid- pass. This pass is 259 (darned near 270, which is due West). You couldn't ask for a better pass to hit with an HT!!!

So...that is the HARD WAY to visualize a pass...But that Heavens Above Web site will show you graphically. And then there's commercial software, too...but you do NOT need to spend money immediately on software.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359 909-241-7666