John Vinters G7NSN: EarthStation

Home     Last Update: 3-June-2010

Introduction

EarthStation is a simple Satellite Tracker that runs under Unix-like Systems and Windows.
It is written in Ada 2005 using the GNAT Compiler and GtkAda Toolkit.

Screenshot

Download

Windows (XP/Vista/7) users can get a test binary of Version 0.30 here
(MD5 Checksum afa6cbe3c9b3adb10e03fc0cd92796a0).

You can fetch the source from GitHub and Compile it yourself.

How to Use

Start EarthStation (it's on the Start Menu if you've installed the Windows package, or it's called es if you're on Unix). Select Edit → Groundstation... and update your location information.

Next, download a two-line-element (TLE) file containing the Keplerian Elements of the Satellites you want to track. This is a good one to start with (covers common Amateur Radio and Weather Satellites). Select File → Import TLE File... and select your downloaded file; the Keplerian Elements should now be imported.

You can now select Edit → Tracking... and select the Satellites you want to track. It is usuallly best to keep the number you track to a fairly low number (especially if you have a small screen).

To view the details for a particular Satellite, select View → Active Track and the Satellite you wish to view. The bottom of the main Window will change to show the detail you requested.

If you wish to clear out Keplerian Data, this can be done by selecting File → Clear Keplerian Elements from the menu. This will delete all Keplerian Elements, and you will need to import a new TLE file to do any tracking.

You should update your elements by importing a new version of the TLE file every few weeks for maximum accuracy. Importing a new file will overwrite any previous data for the Satellites (you don't need to clear the Keplerian Elements first).

Different sources of Keplerian Elements sometimes use slightly different names for Satellites; it's generally best to find a source that you like e.g. AMSAT or Celestrak and stick to it. You can clear out the Keplerian Elements as described above and re-import a new file to get rid of any duplicates.

Future Plans (time permitting!)

Keplerian Elements downloader application.
Doppler Radio tuning (probably Unix-like Systems only).
Store Satellites using Catalogue Id (prevents duplicate problem).

(Non) Warranty and Licence

Use of this software is entirely at your own risk.
The software is covered by the GNU GPL Version 3 (or at your option, any later version).