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SATRA.TXT
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1989-07-06
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SATRA - SAtellite TRAcking
--------------------------
by Jari Salminen, OH2BYQ
V1.0 June 5, 1989
I started writing SATRA as my first Windows application about two years ago.
Since then it has been rewritten twice or three times as my knowledge about
Windows has grown. It's quite well behaving now, but like in all good projects
there is still lots to do.
You can distribute and copy SATRA to NON COMMERCIAL purposes only in good
ham spirit. If you want to contact me, try one of the following address:
- Jari Salminen
Kontulankaari 11 H 247
SF-00940 HELSINKI
FINLAND, EUROPE
- USENET: jsa@otax.tky.hut.fi
General information about using SATRA
-------------------------------------
SATRA requires MS-Windows 2.0 or better. Mouse is not requiered.
Use of math-coprocessor recommended, but not requiered.
Files needed:
SATRA.EXE - the program
SATRA.QTH - QTH information
SATRA.SAT - satellite information
SATRA.MOD - optional mode information for satellites
WIN87EM.EXE - Windows floating point emulator library
SATRA uses coordinates in range: Longitude -180..180, Latitude -90..90.
Satellite information is shown in the bottom are of the window after
the satellite is selected by clicking the satellite on the screen with
mouse or using 'TAB' to scroll through satellites. When satellite is
seleted, its name on map is inverted. When satellite is visible in
your QTH, there is a little '+' character instead of square on the left
side of satellite name and the name is printed in red.
Double click on satellite or 'Ctrl-T' for curretly selected satellite
displays the tracking window and SATRA starts tracking that satellite.
NOTE1: This version (V1.0) is coded for antenna rotating system by
Timo Knuutila, OH1QC/OH2MAT. Future version will have a general interface
where different systems can be easilly adapted.
NOTE2: Only one SATRA can run at a time (still some bugs with global handles
or something ...)
NOTE3: Sorry about this short documentation, but I hope that using SATRA would
be so simple that you don't need manual at all.
Brief information about menu commands
-------------------------------------
File - Load Satellites
Loads new satellite file. Satellite information must be in
"AMSAT-format":
Satellite: OSCAR 10
Catalog number: 14129
Epoch time: 88178.59395153
Element set: 342
Inclination: 27.302600 deg
RA of node: 317.156900 deg
Eccentricity: 0.602864
Arg of perigee: 315.542500 deg
Mean anomaly: 9.422800 deg
Mean motion: 2.05879802 rev/day
Decay rate: -8.10000000e-007 rev/day^2
Epoch rev: 989
SATRA can handle up to 50 satellites at a time.
File - Load new QTH
Loads new QTH information. Format of the file is:
# SATRA, QTH-info
# Name, Longitude (E+ W-), Latitude, Height (m from surface)
OH2TI 24.8 60.19 50
Lines starting with '#' are comment lines
Satellites - Select
Shows a dialog bos where all satellites are alphabetically ordered.
You can select satellites with mouse by clicking, or with keyboard
with arrow keys and space bar. To select multiple satellites hold
down shift key while clicking with mouse or ctrl-key while using
keyboard. 'Enter' is same as 'Ok', 'Esc' means 'Cancel', 'Alt-S'
is 'Select all' and 'Alt-C' 'Clear all'.
Satellites - Save as default set
Every time SATRA starts it looks from WIN.INI lines:
[SATRA]
SatDefault=
If after "SatDefault=" is list of satellite names separated with ';',
SATRA display those satellites on screen at start. You can save
the current satellite setup as default with this command.
Map - World, Europe, North America, U.S.A.
Selects the display area of the map.
Map - Simple, Filled
Map drawing may be simple (just coastlines -> fast) or filled
(oceans are grayed -> slower).
Map - Lo-res, Med-res
Selects either low or medium resolution map.
The default map mode could be in WIN.INI in line "Map=".
Mode is coded to three letters:
1st letter: W, E, N or U (World, Europe, etc.)
2nd letter: S or F (Simple or Filled)
3rd letter: L or M (Lo-res or Med-res)
Default is WSL.
Example:
[SATRA]
Map=ESM
Options - Step
This command selects the step mode and time interval.
When "Automatic" mode is on, time is incremented with values from
"Step Min" and "Step sec" controls. If "Real time" is on, time is
taken from PC. Then "Step Min" and "Step sec" tells the delay between
two calculation of satellite positions.
NOTE! to get the correct UTC-time, you must have the DOS enviroment
variable "TZ" set to the time zome of your QTH.
Example: DOS command "set TZ=EET-2" sets East European time that
is two hours ahead GMT.
Options - New QTH
New QTH position could be selected with this command.
Options - Rec. Freq
Seletcs the receiving frequency for doppler calculations. This has
no meaning if satellite has correct frequency in SATRA.MOD file.
Options - Range Circle
Adds a range circle for selected satellite.
Options - Orbit!
Draws projection of satellites one full round around globe and
time when that round ends.
Step!
Starts stepping (= incrementing time and calculating new satellites
positions).
Stop!
Stops stepping.
Track!
Opens up a tracking window. When there is no satellite to be tracked
( the caption has no satellite name ), then scrollbars affect straight
to the direction values. If there is satellite to be tracked, then
scrollbars change the offset value that is added to the calculated
values.
TILTED means that antenna is turn upside down so that satellite, which
normally would travels across the stop points of rotator, could be
tracked normally. The values in tracking window are the real values
where the antenna is pointing.
Format of the SATRA.MOD file
----------------------------
Example of SATRA.MOD file (that should say it all ...):
# SATRA.MOD
# Satellite modes
#
# For MaxPhase the default value is 256.
#
# Mode: Name (StartPhase-EndPhase) U:123.123 D:123.123 R F
# where fields are:
# Name = Mode name (or "Off")
# StartPhase = start phase of mode
# EndPhase = end phase of mode
#
# U = Uplink frequency (MHz)
# D = Downlink freq.
#
# R = Reversed freq. (when uplink increases, downlink decreases...)
# or
# F = Fixed freq.
#
Satellite: OSCAR 10
MaxPhase: 256
Mode: B (21-199) U:435.105 D:145.900 R
Mode: Off (200-20)
Satellite: Oscar-13
MaxPhase: 256
Mode: B (21-199) U:435.508 D:145.890 R
Mode: J (200-230) U:144.448 D:435.965 R
Mode: L (231-2) U:1269.496 D:435.860 R
Mode: Off (3-20)