Two hours ago, I went to the AMSAT.org site, and checked on the Keplerian data files that were available.
But I just now clicked on it, and it throws me to the 2005-era Keps page - with the light blue background ...
My browser's cache isn't THAT old ...
Clint
Hi Clint,
help me understand why you would go to the AMSAT website for keps?
AMSAT will use keps that are available for download from another source be it
celestrak
or space-track
and someone at AMSAT (e.g. volunteer) has to publish those on the AMSAT website. There will always be a delay since you add another step in the process.
Use the most up to date source (see above). My point of view, AMSAT should not be publishing keps (unless they are the only ones getting them directly from the source for a brand new satellite and have a mechanism in place to update them immediately once they change) but rather pointing to the best source.
Stefan, VE4NSA
On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 4:33 PM, Clint Bradford [email protected]wrote:
Two hours ago, I went to the AMSAT.org site, and checked on the Keplerian data files that were available.
But I just now clicked on it, and it throws me to the 2005-era Keps page - with the light blue background ...
My browser's cache isn't THAT old ...
Clint _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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
We currently point to the old website (simply disabled the portions that used the database causing errors earlier in the year). This way we can use the information from the older website until it can be ported over to the new website (which is actually very easy but someone needs to do it! hint hint for any potential volunteers). Those of us volunteering for the website over the Summer work pushed to get the functioning website up and running on Wordpress but in cases such as mine I've refocused most of my time to Fox-1 engineering (free time that is) to keep that moving along. There's still valuable kep information regarding what they are and how they are derived. I agree we need to figure out the actual element issue and it's been a recent topic for the website volunteers since the AO-73 launch. Suggestions are always welcome and help bring attention to something us volunteers may be missing.
Bryce KB1LQC
On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 3:42 PM, Stefan Wagener [email protected] wrote:
Hi Clint,
help me understand why you would go to the AMSAT website for keps?
AMSAT will use keps that are available for download from another source be it
celestrak
or space-track
and someone at AMSAT (e.g. volunteer) has to publish those on the AMSAT website. There will always be a delay since you add another step in the process.
Use the most up to date source (see above). My point of view, AMSAT should not be publishing keps (unless they are the only ones getting them directly from the source for a brand new satellite and have a mechanism in place to update them immediately once they change) but rather pointing to the best source.
Stefan, VE4NSA
On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 4:33 PM, Clint Bradford <[email protected]
wrote:
Two hours ago, I went to the AMSAT.org site, and checked on the Keplerian data files that were available.
But I just now clicked on it, and it throws me to the 2005-era Keps page
with the light blue background ...
My browser's cache isn't THAT old ...
Clint _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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
Sent via [email protected]. 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
Why AMSAT-NA for Keps?
It has been great using their .pdb copy that seems to get updated every Thursday evening. It has worked out marvelously for me for years. And at least one excellent program uses it - PocketSat.
Sent from my iPod touch.
On Nov 27, 2013, at 3:42 PM, Stefan Wagener [email protected] wrote:
Hi Clint,
help me understand why you would go to the AMSAT website for keps?
On a side-note, I figured I would offer-up a short, technical side-note for anyone that is interested. I would like to address two common issues that people run into:
a) obtaining the latest amateur radio keps from spacetrack (without having to explicitly log into the website) b) host your own keps on a local server, so you do not have to be dependent on third party websites for keps (maybe you're out in the field?)
Both of these can be accomplished very easily using the Python snippet below. For the record, this code is a rapid prototype that does not check return values or catch exceptions. It is the bare-bones needed for illustration purposes. This is the complete code snippet:
import urllib, urllib2
import SimpleHTTPServer, SocketServer
host = 'localhost'
port = 8000
auth_url = 'https://www.space-track.org/ajaxauth/login'
keps_url = ' https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tle_latest/favorites/... '
credentials = {
'identity':'YOUR_SPACETRACK_USERNAME',
'password':'YOUR_SPACETRACK_PASSWORD'
}
print 'downloading keps'
credentials = urllib.urlencode(credentials)
request = urllib2.Request(auth_url, credentials)
response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
cookie = response.headers.get('Set-Cookie')
request = urllib2.Request(keps_url)
request.add_header('cookie', cookie)
keps = urllib2.urlopen(request).readlines()
open('updated_keps.txt','w').writelines(keps)
print 'serving keps on %s port %d' % (host, port)
Handler = SimpleHTTPServer.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler
httpd = SocketServer.TCPServer((host, port), Handler)
httpd.serve_forever()
The first part of the script, downloads the keps from spacetrack and stores them into a text file named "updated_keps.txt". This file is created from the same path that the script is executed from (so that should be the folder on the desktop). The second piece of code, hosts the keps via http on your local machine, using a local-socket. To access the keps from your browser or from a third-party app, simply specify the url: http://localhost:8000/updated_keps.txt.
To use this code, all you need to do is: - install python 2.7 (see http://www.python.org) - drop this script into a folder on your desktop - double click it
If you would like to expand upon this, let me know and I can help out.
Joseph Armbruster
On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 7:42 PM, Clint Bradford [email protected]wrote:
Why AMSAT-NA for Keps?
It has been great using their .pdb copy that seems to get updated every Thursday evening. It has worked out marvelously for me for years. And at least one excellent program uses it - PocketSat.
Sent from my iPod touch.
On Nov 27, 2013, at 3:42 PM, Stefan Wagener [email protected] wrote:
Hi Clint,
help me understand why you would go to the AMSAT website for keps?
Sent via [email protected]. 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
AmsatDroid offers Celestrack or AMSAT. Celestrac seems to work fine. How is Celesttack related to space track?
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
CelesTrak takes the data from Space Track, repackages it into more user friendly groups and formats, and does so in close to real time. The AMSAT service is tightly focused on satellites of interest to amateurs, and in fact began life when Keps were sent out by snail mail, and then packet.
73s,
Alan WA4SCA
<-----Original Message----- <From: [email protected] <[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Douglas Phelps <Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2013 12:07 AM <To: Clint Bradford; Joseph Armbruster <Cc: AMSAT BB <Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT-NA Keps Page < <AmsatDroid offers Celestrack or AMSAT. Celestrac seems to <work fine. How is Celesttack related to space track? < <Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android < <_______________________________________________ <Sent via [email protected]. 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 <
On 11/28/2013 08:57 AM, Alan wrote:
The AMSAT service is tightly focused on satellites of interest to amateurs, and in fact began life when Keps were sent out by snail mail, and then packet.
In the AMSAT format, which to be honest, I preferred to TLE!
Let's analyze this: I can play with source code snippets, or simply click a button on AMSAT-NA's Web site to get exactly what I want.
Hmmm ... which is more painless?
Didn't mean to start up anything with this thread. AMSAT-NA and its every-Thursday updates has served me well. No - not all 63 birds deployed last week are in their Keps yet, but all I need is there. No online application process, no source code ...
Clint K6LCS
... why you would go to the AMSAT website for keps?
I certainly hope you are not demeaning what AMSAT-NA has done for many years for Kep data.
NO - it is not up-to-date to the moment. And with more than 60 birds launched last week alone, it will take time for AMSAT's particular delivery method to "catch up."
So it probably is not the primary source for data right now - if folks are working these brand new birds.
But for YEARS, it has proven to be a reliable source for the "established" satellites. I know no one would make light of that source for information.
Clint K6LCS
No problem,
if that is so important to you, why are you complaining about it on this board and "demeaning" it yourself:
"My browser's cache isn't THAT old ..."
Maybe next time you have the courtesy to ask the Amsat volunteers directly about the status of the website and if you don't care for feedback don't post it here.
Simple as that!
Stefan
On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 7:18 PM, Clint Bradford [email protected]wrote:
... why you would go to the AMSAT website for keps?
I certainly hope you are not demeaning what AMSAT-NA has done for many years for Kep data.
NO - it is not up-to-date to the moment. And with more than 60 birds launched last week alone, it will take time for AMSAT's particular delivery method to "catch up."
So it probably is not the primary source for data right now - if folks are working these brand new birds.
But for YEARS, it has proven to be a reliable source for the "established" satellites. I know no one would make light of that source for information.
Clint K6LCS
You missed my point entirely - OR I didn't express myself well ...
Mid-day today, I clicked on the Keps page at AMSAT-NA, and was sent to a "new style" page - one with the same "look and feel" as the new home page.
But right now, when I go to the same link, I am sent to the "old style," light blue background page, with the "Last Updated January 4, 2005" notation.
Just wondering what was up - that is all.
Clint K6LCS
Sounds good!
All is well and we are on the same page. Thanks for clarifying.
Stefan
On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 7:44 PM, Clint Bradford [email protected]wrote:
You missed my point entirely - OR I didn't express myself well ...
Mid-day today, I clicked on the Keps page at AMSAT-NA, and was sent to a "new style" page - one with the same "look and feel" as the new home page.
But right now, when I go to the same link, I am sent to the "old style," light blue background page, with the "Last Updated January 4, 2005" notation.
Just wondering what was up - that is all.
Clint K6LCS
Clint,
True, and if you click on either of the Keps links, you get the latest AMSAT Keps distribution. At some point we need to update it to the new style, but the functionality is there.
73s,
Alan WA4SCA
<-----Original Message----- <From: [email protected] <[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Clint Bradford <Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 4:33 PM <To: AMSAT BB <Subject: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-NA Keps Page < <Two hours ago, I went to the AMSAT.org site, and checked on <the Keplerian data files that were <available. < <But I just now clicked on it, and it throws me to the 2005-era <Keps page - with the light blue <background ... < <My browser's cache isn't THAT old ... < <Clint <_______________________________________________ <Sent via [email protected]. 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 <
-
Alan -
Bryce Salmi -
Clint Bradford -
Douglas Phelps -
Gus -
Joseph Armbruster -
Stefan Wagener