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3. Satellite Software.

The following software is for use in experimentation with Satellite communication.

3.1 MicroSat Ground Station Software

Author

John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, g0orx@amsat.org and Jonathan Naylor G4KLX, g4klx@amsat.org

Description

Microsat Ground Station software.

Status

BETA. Version 0.91 released.

Updated

01 Apr 97

System requirements

Alan Cox's kernel based AX.25 support ver 1.1.12 or better. X-Windows. The programs make use of the Athena Widgets and look much better with the 3D libraries.

Detail

This software allows you to use of a KISS tnc to directly communicate with the Microsat series of satellites. It provides an Athena Widgets based X-Windows interface, and allows you a comprehensive range of means of interacting with the satellite. The software should work with any window manager.

The software provides the following programs:

xpb:

broadcast monitor

xpg:

ftl0 file upload program, message upload program

xtlm:

telemetry display program

downloaded:

downloaded file list viewer

directory:

directory list viewer

message:

message preparation application

viewtext:

uncompressed ASCII text file viewer

viewlog:

display the contents of some log files

xweber:

special program for downloading webersat images

phs:

general purpose PACSAT header stripper

Where and How to obtain it.

John's software is available from: ftp.cs.nott.ac.uk or ftp.amsat.org or ftp.funet.fi. The version current at the time of writing was microsat-0.91.tar.gz. Please check for new versions.

Licensing/Copyright

GNU Public License. Freely redistributable, No warranty.

Contributed by:

John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, Alan Cox, GW4PTS, Jonathon Naylor, G4KLX

3.2 SatTrack - Satellite tracking program

Name

SatTrack

Author

Manfred Bester, DL5KR, manfred@ssl.berkeley.edu, (510) 849-9922

Description

Satellite realtime tracking and orbit prediction program with X11 color graphics.

Status

Version 4.0 is a fully commercial release. Version 3.1.5 is the last freely available release.

Updated

01 Apr 97

System requirements

A vt100 terminal and or X11 server. A Maths Coprocessor is useful, but not essential, for good performance.

Detail

SatTrack is a satellite tracking program that has been written in 'C' language on a UNIX workstation. It provides two different live displays, for single or multiple satellites, and two different orbit prediction facilities. Cursor controls used in both live displays are compatible with the VT100 standard, which allows the program to be run basically from any terminal. An optional X Window graphics display shows the typical world map tracking chart. The orbit prediction can be run either interactively or in a batch mode. In the latter case all necessary parameters are specified on the command line. The program uses the NORAD/NASA two-line Keplerian element (TLE) sets directly.

The current version of SatTrack can track a single satellite and/or display multiple satellites for a single ground station. It also can control suitable ground station hardware, like antennas and radio equipment, and has an autotrack mode in which it switches automatically between a number of specified satellites. For calibration purposes tracking of the Sun and the Moon are also provided. Future releases will provide more options. SatTrack requires about 5MB of disk space in the full distribution with eight different world maps (2 styles, with 4 different sizes each, to fit everyone's screen and taste) and less than 1.5 MB of memory at run time. More information can be obtained from the SatTrack WWW Home Page.

Where and How to obtain it.

The commerical version of SatTrack can be found at: SatTrack WWW Home Page.

The free version of SatTrack may be found at: ftp.jvnc.net or ftp.amsat.org.

Licensing/Copyright

The software is Copyright of Manfred Bester. It can be used without special permission for non-profit, non-commercial use. For commercial applications a license from the author is required. Version 4.0 is a fully commercially supported release.

Contributed by:

Manfred Bester, DL5KR

3.3 Predict

Author

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org

Description

A satellite orbital prediction program that also tracks the sun's position to predict visible satellite passes.

Status

Complete and working.

Updated

01 Apr 97

System requirements

predict is a screen-oriented program that utilizes the ncurses-1.8.5 (or later) library. A color terminal is a plus, but not a necessity.

Detail

Features of predict include azimuth and elevation headings of satellite passes, orbital phase, sub-satellite point locations, slant ranges, orbit numbers, and sunlight visibility as a function of date and time. The program is simple, fast, and easy to use. Predict maintains an orbital database for 21 satellites that can be updated by the user through the keyboard or by using files containing NASA 2-line orbital element data. Since this program operates under a multiuser environment, each user on the system owns and maintains his or her own unique orbital data base.

This program has been compiled using the highest level of compiler optimization for high speed execution, and uses an a.out binary format for greatest compatibility.

To install the package use the following:

# cd /
# tar xvfz predict.tgz

Where and How to obtain it.

You can obtain predict.tgz from: amsat.org

Licensing/Copyright

This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.

Contributed by

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD

3.4 UO11

Author

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org

Description

A simple UoSAT-OSCAR-11 satellite telemetry decoding program.

Status

Complete and working.

Updated

01 Apr 97

System requirements

A 1200 baud UoSAT-OSCAR-11 FSK demodulator (Bell-202 is suitable), a VHF-FM receiver that can tune to 145.825 MHz, a small yagi antenna, and a communications program such as Minicom that can save 1200 baud ASCII telemetry data to a text file.

Detail

uo11 decodes ASCII telemetry data that has been captured through a terminal program, error checks the received data, and applies calibration equations to the received data to produce a report that can be easily understood and analyzed. uo11 comes pre-compiled (a.out format) with a man page entry for ease of use.

To install you should use the following commands:

# cd /
# tar xvfz uo11.tgz

Where and How to obtain it.

You can obtain uo11.tgz from: amsat.org

Licensing/Copyright

This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.

Contributed by

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD

3.5 Dove

Author

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org

Description

A simple DOVE-OSCAR-17 satellite telemetry decoding program.

Status

Complete and working.

Updated

01 Apr 97

System requirements

A terminal node controller (TNC), a VHF-FM receiver that can tune to 145.825 MHz, a small yagi antenna, and a communications program such as Minicom that can save 1200 baud ASCII telemetry data to a text file.

Detail

dove decodes ASCII telemetry data that has been captured through a terminal program and applies calibration equations to the received data to produce a report that can be easily understood and analyzed. dove comes pre-compiled (a.out format) with a man page entry for ease of use.

To install Dove you should use the following commands:

# cd /
# tar xvfz dove.tgz

Where and How to obtain it.

You can obtain dove.tgz from: amsat.org

Licensing/Copyright

This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.

Contributed by

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD

3.6 Kepgen

Author

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org

Description

A simple, yet useful utility that generates Keplerian data files in the NASA 2-line format from data entered through the keyboard.

Status

Complete.

Updated

01 Apr 97

System requirements

kepgen is a screen-oriented program that utilizes the ncurses-1.8.5 (or later) library. A color terminal is a plus, but not a necessity.

Detail

kepgen allows the user to create checksummed Keplerian data files in the NASA 2-line format using orbital data entered via the keyboard. kepgen was created out of the need for generating 2-line orbital files from orbital data copied from WA3NAN audio transmissions during Space Shuttle missions. The files created can be read by virtually any satellite tracking or orbital prediction program. kepgen comes pre-compiled (a.out format) with a man page entry for ease of use.

To install kepgen you should use the following commands:

# cd /
# tar xvfz kepgen.tgz

Where and How to obtain it.

You can obtain kepgen.tgz from: amsat.org

Licensing/Copyright

This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.

Contributed by

John A. Magliacane, KD2BD


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