On Sun, Nov 29, 2009 at 6:23 PM, w4upd <upd...@bristor-assoc.com> wrote: > GO to the following FTP location at my site. I think you'll find what > you need there. If not let me know and I'll look to see if I have other > info related to the Trakbox. > > ftp://bristor-assoc.com/pub/Amateur/TrakBox/ > > Reid, W4UPD > > > > William Leijenaar wrote: >> Hi AMSATs, >> >> For some longer time I have been looking for a way to get a stand-alone >> real-time satellite tracking system, without the use of a dual-core, GHz >> speed power consuming computer :o) To my suprise I didn't found much, only >> one design called trakbox which can be found E.g at the following tapr >> website: >> http://www.tapr.org/kits_trakbox.html >> >> Unfortunatly it is not available anymore, and the mean reason I guess is the >> outdated components. >> I found out that the design originates from JAMSAT. Maybe someone has data >> (schematic, PCB layout, source code) of this design ? >> >> I wonder with todays highly integrated microcontrollers if there is some >> modern kind of real-time-tracker available ? >> I am looking for a system that works just seconds after switching on the >> power supply and not something that first has to boat 15min and needs a >> mouse to work. >>
William -- It depends what you mean by tracker, since the word is a bit widely used in English. It could mean 1) a device that, in response to az/el values submitted on a serial line, controls antenna rotors to track a satellite, or 2) a device that calculates those az/el values (as well as downlink and uplink frequencies, e.g.), or 3) something that does both of these tasks. There are many commercial and one-off instances of #1. Trackbox above is an instance of #3, though I don't believe it is still being kitted. The LVBtracker is best known as an instance of #1 above, but in fact the latest version is an example of #3 above. It is available from AMSAT-UK as a kit, and from AMSAT-NA as a completed product. If you'd like to explore an extremely low-power and small footprint device that will do #2 above, you might want to consider the qrpTracker libraries and applications I've written and ported for the Arduino platform, available at http://code.google.com/p/qrptracker/ with a website at http://sites.google.com/site/qrptracker/ I think hobbiests might find this easy to work with because the various building blocks -- like Plan 13 tracking code, TLE-storage and -access routines and rig-control activies -- have been packaged into C++ classes. Moreover, the Arduino hardware is ubiquitous, standard and relatively cheap. My youtube video demoing how this code and hardware could be used onboard a satellite to save power made the rounds a couple of weeks ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSUK7Jq3LCY In a day or so I hope to post a video of the same device doppler-tuning my FT-817. The long-term terrestrial goal is to provide a satellite-selecting and doppler tuning 'dongle' for this and the TH-D7A. 73, Bruce http://ve9qrp.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ Sent via amsat...@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
