Linux-Hams archive - January 1997: Re: Need: moontracker software

Re: Need: moontracker software

Bjorn Aldorsson (jwug@u-bordeaux.fr)
Sun, 12 Jan 1997 12:31:42 +0100 (MET)

At 13.56 1997-01-11 -0900, you wrote:
>
>
>> Hi all.
>>
>> Can someone out there tell me if/where I can find a moontracker
>> software for Linux? Today I am using VK3UM for MSDOS, but would
>> like to switch over to Linux as much as possible.
>>
>> TNX for any help.
>
>I don't know exactly what you are up to so I'm not sure it would help, but
>there was a recent program reviewed in the Linux Journal called satrack
>which might do the job. As you may have guessed it is designed for
>sattelites but judging from what I supposed to be a HAM call sign in your
>sig I suppose those features might be of interest as well. You could
>probably work the moon in some way or other. There is a commerial version
>with a particularly sharp interface. Hope this helps.
>
>
>I like six eggs when starting on a journey. Fried - not poached. And
>mind you don't break 'em. I won't eat a broken egg.
> -- Thorin Oakenshield
>
>
>
OK tnx for info. I will check out satrack, read about in HAM-HOWTO if
I remember correctly.
I'll be a little more specific here. YES I am HAM, thought I'd finished the
mail with the usual 73's .... but perhaps I forgot.
My call is SM7SJR, and I am an active EME'r on 2m. And also hopefully on 23cm
someday as well. Today I am using VK3UM soft just to keep track of the moon.
And hopefully I can point the antennas in the direction that the eme-soft
tells me, wich is not always as easy as it sounds hi hi.

So the first thing I want is just a program that tells me where the moon is.
(Got info on sunmoon.c to help me with that, haven't compiled it yet but
will do as soon as I get all my troubles with my darn NT machine sorted out).

Then if the software can tell me other stuffs like sky temperature, doppler
offset, common moon window, declination etc. Even better.

And beyond that there is the possibilites of auto-tracking. That is: letting
the computer manoeuvre the antennas. In VK3UM that is done by reading the
actual direction of the antennas (it is nice to have accurate indication, hi)
compared to kepplerian data and optional also compared to moon-noise.
I haven't started on my auto-tracker project yet, but will do sometime...

So my options are:
1. Getting a software as potential as possible for Linux (best solution)
2. Running dos-emu and VK3UM. (Haven't tried dos-emu, is it good?)
3. A dos-partition on my linux machine, and boot ms-dos. (hmmm!)
4. Putting one of my old 286 or 386's as a dedicated "moon-machine".

So I can do the job in some way. But it sure would be nice to be able to
do it with a Linux software directly...

73 de SM7SJR Bjorn Aldorsson. JO87EB. QRV 2m EME/MS:
4 x 17B2, 7/8" Heliax TX coax. Aircom+ phasing and RX-cable. MGF1302 preamp.
Kenwood TS-820S HF-rig, Yaesu FTV-707 transverter. RF concept 170W amp as
drive to a 8877 amplifier. Superkeyer II, all homebrew rotators/indications.
So far 87 stations contacted via the moon.