The following software is for use in experimentation with Satellite communication.
John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, g0orx@amsat.org and Jonathan Naylor G4KLX, g4klx@amsat.org
Microsat Ground Station software.
BETA. Version 0.9-Xaw released.
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.
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:
broadcast monitor
ftl0 file upload program, message upload program
telemetry display program
downloaded file list viewer
directory list viewer
message preparation application
uncompressed ASCII text file viewer
display the contents of some log files
special program for downloading webersat images
general purpose PACSAT header stripper
John's software is available from: ftp.amsat.org or ftp.funet.fi. Please check for new versions.
GNU Public License. Freely redistributable, No warranty.
John Melton, G0ORX/N6LYT, Alan Cox, GW4PTS, Jonathon Naylor, G4KLX
SatTrack
Manfred Bester, DL5KR, manfred@ssl.berkeley.edu, (510) 849-9922
Satellite realtime tracking and orbit prediction program with X11 color graphics.
Version 3.1 has been released.
A vt100 terminal and or X11 server. A Maths Coprocessor is useful, but not essential, for good performance.
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 5 MB 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
Compiling the software under Linux is quite straightforward. Manfred has designed the Makefile to compile the software directly under your home directory, this is easy to change.
The steps I took were:
# cd /usr/src
# export HOME=/usr/src
# gzip -dc sattrack-3.1.1.tar.gz | tar xvf -
# cd SatTrack/src
# vi Makefile
{Comment SUN4 compile options}
{Uncomment the linux options}
{Select the options you want}
# make
SatTrack can be found at: ftp.amsat.org or ftp.jvnc.net or the SatTrack WWW Home Page
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.
Manfred Bester, DL5KR
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org
A satellite orbital prediction program that also tracks the sun's position to predict visible satellite passes.
Complete and working.
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.
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
You can obtain predict from: pilot.njin.net
This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org
A simple UoSAT-OSCAR-11 satellite telemetry decoding program.
Complete and working.
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.
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
You can obtain uo11 from: pilot.njin.net.
This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org
A simple DOVE-OSCAR-17 satellite telemetry decoding program.
Complete and working.
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.
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
You can obtain Dove from: pilot.njin.net.
This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, kd2bd@amsat.org
A simple, yet useful utility that generates Keplerian data files in the NASA 2-line format from data entered through the keyboard.
Complete.
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.
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
You can obtain kepgen from: pilot.njin.net.
This software is available free of charge and must be used for non-commercial purposes only.
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD