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Text File | 1987-03-22 | 20KB | 459 lines

** ORBITS2 ** A SATELLITE TRACKING PROGRAM FOR THE IBM-PC 3-22-87 ***** PROPRIETARY NOTICE ***** This program is a proprietary product developed and distributed by Roy D. Welch, 908 Dutch Mill Dr., Manchester, Mo. 63011. Copyright 1987 by Roy D. Welch. All rights reserved except those expressly granted to the user within this document. Unauthorized copying or other use is in violation of the U.S. Copyright Act and is a civil and criminal offense. Warranties and other liabilities are disclaimed. The right is reserved to modify the programs, files and these instructions at any time without having the obligation to notify any persons or parties of such modifications. ***** REQUIREMENTS ***** IBM-PC/XT/AT 256k of RAM (minimum) IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) IBM Color Display Floppy Disk Drive (one) DOS 2.X or later ***** GENERAL ***** This documentation covers the instructions needed for using the program and various files on this diskette as described below. The program permits the user to establish data records for up to twenty earth satellites and to track those satellites for the purpose of aiming radio antennas at them. The user can select a particular function from a menu and that function will be executed automatically. The IBM Color Graphics Adapter and Display, or equivalent, is required for graphics routines in this program. The program is compiled to be run on an IBM-PC. While the program may run on the so called "IBM compatibles", there is no assurance of compatibility. Compatible PCs must be compatible in both hardware and software because of the necessity of writing directly to the graphics display in the graphics routine. Before the program can be run the user must supply some information unique to his own geographical location and ground station. This will be described later. He must also have a source of satellite orbital elements in order to periodically update the "numbers". This too will be discussed later. It is strongly suggested that at this point the user make a backup copy of the program diskette PRIOR to proceeding any further. Later, after a working copy diskette has been made, you can update it with your own unique station parameters on it. See ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. To run the program, key in ORBITS2 followed by the ENTER key. This must be done from the DOS prompt (<A, <C, etc.). (1) ***** THE MAIN MENU ***** The Main Menu provides a means by which the user can select one of four other subprograms. Each of these subprograms provide a way to return to the menu when desired. One these four subprograms provides batch output for a single satellite, listing tracking information in non-realtime for a selected time period. A second subprogram provides the capability for realtime tracking. Thirdly, there is a file management subprogram that provides the capability for updating the orbital elements for each satellite. The fourth subprogram provides a means for the user to install various parameters concerning the particular ground station being used such as latitude,longitude, altitude above sea level and station name or call sign, etc. This program also allows the user to select one of four map presentations and its color. A world map can be constructed such that the center of the map on the screen can be at 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees longitude, to suit the user. Antenna autotracking can also be enabled in this routine. ***** UPDATING KEPLERIAN ELEMENTS ***** The program has a file management routine that builds and maintains an orbital elements file used by the tracking routines. It will handle elements for up to twenty satellites. Only the first eight will be used in the real- time tracking program however. The file should be arranged with this in mind. This function can be accessed from the Main Menu. Prompting is used extensively to guide the user through adding, changing and deleting satellite elements. The user must also supply a name or designation for each satellite. This name must not exceed ten characters and must consist of alphabetical and numerical characters only. Provision is made to input a beacon frequency for a satellite if Doppler Shift calculations are desired. This is not required however and is not used by the real time tracking routines. These required orbital elements are the classical Keplerian Orbital Elements and are available from NASA or from the Amateur Satellite Report (ASR). If you get them from NASA you will get a large volume of paper, often two or three times a week. 1. Write to NASA Predictions Bulletin Oprns. Ctr. Branch Code 512, NASA GSFC Greenbelt, MD 20771 2. State, "I am a Radio Amateur operator and need prediction bulletins for these satellites", or something similar. 3. Furnish a list of desired satellites by catalog number: OSCAR 10 = 14129 OSCAR 11 = 14781 F012 = 16909 (FUJI OSCAR 12) RS7 = 13001 RS8 = 12998 MIR = 16609 (2) 4. Also request the format explanation for these bulletins. 5. Be prepared to get a lot of mail!! The Amateur Satellite Report is published and mailed First Class bi-weekly by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation to all AMSAT members worldwide as a membership benefit. Write to AMSAT, P.O. Box 27, Washington, D.C. 20044. The advantage of obtaining updates from ASR is that the user also gets a fine news letter in addition to timely element updates. Also, there is a lot less paper to be handled that way. The program stores the satellite elements in a data file named ELEMENTS.DAT on the same diskette or directory containing the program. When elements are updated the diskette must not have a file protect tab affixed. The sequence of appearance in the file can be changed through the option of inserting a new satellite in any of the occupied file positions. This insert feature allows the user to arrange the first eight positions with the satellites he wants tracked by the real time program. If for some reason it is desirable to see fewer than the maximum number of satellites available to the realtime tracking program, the user can insert a dummy satellite named END at the position following the last satellite wanted. The program will only load satellite elements until it finds the one named END. At the conclusion of an update, the user can select an exit option which returns control to the Main Menu. The classical Keplerian elements used by this program is listed below: Epoch Year (YY) Epoch Day (DDD.DDDDDDDD) Note: These two elements are often shown together in the form Epoch Time (YYDDD.DDDDDDDD). Inclination Right Ascension Of Ascending Node or R.A.A.N. Eccentricity Argument Of Perigee Mean Anomaly Mean Motion Decay Rate (Drag Factor) Epoch Orbit No. (Epoch Revolution) (3) ***** THE BATCH OUTPUT FUNCTION ***** This function provides a tracking coordinate listing for any single satellite chosen by the user. It provides a batch output covering a variable period of time also determined by the user. Tracking coordinates for the selected period of time and "look" interval steps are presented either on the screen or printer at the user's option. This is useful for compiling a sequence of tracking coordinates on hard copy for later use. For example, the user might print out coordinate listings for a week in advance for use while away from home. Once output has started, depressing the ESC key will interrupt the program and return control to the Main Menu. When the program has finished, an END OF JOB message will be displayed. Depressing any key at this point will return control to the Main Menu. ***** REALTIME TRACKING FUNCTION ***** This function displays tracking coordinates for up to eight satellites on the screen at one time and updates them continuously in real time. The program prompts for input of the date and time in Coordinated Universal Time at the beginning of the run. If the displayed UTC date and time are already correct, depressing the ENTER key twice will allow the program to proceed. The program makes the F9 function key available to key trap the selection of either of two displays on the screen. Initially the screen displays tracking coordinates in a tabulated format. Pressing the F9 key switches the display to a Mercator Projection map of the world upon which each satellite position is displayed and moved in realtime. The coordinates for each satellite are displayed below the map as that satellite is updated. Depressing the F10 function key allows the user to select a particular satellite by designation (name) and to display only that satellite's coordinates below the map. The shape of the selected satellite will be altered for easy recognition. All satellites will continue to be updated on the map but the selected one will be the only one whose coordinates are displayed below the map. Depressing the F10 key a second time will allow the user to replace the selected satellite with another or to exit from the SELECTED mode if the F10 key is followed by depressing the ENTER key. Depressing the F9 key again will switch the display back to the tabulated display. At any time, the ESC key will permit the user to return to the Main Menu. NOTE: The use of more than one function key at a time to "key trap" is not supported by some "IBM compatibles". The use of the F10 key therefore may be ignored by those machines. The F7 key can be toggled to slow the rate of update in the Map mode. The F8 key will speed it up but not greater than four toggles however. This function does not operate when one satellite is selected because the update rate is set for the maximum speed automatically. In the SELECTED mode, an acquisition circle is drawn about the satellite showing its footprint. When the SUN is selected, the boundary of this footprint is the daylight/darkness terminator line. You should write down and file away the Keplerian Elements for the SUN since you will probably not find them published again. The F5 key can be used to toggle the autotrack function on and off if this feature has been enabled. (4) The IBM CGA Adapter & Display are required in the PC because of the graphics used in this program. At the time the program is started, a BLOAD command loads the map image data into a dimensioned array from a file named MAP.DAT. When the F9 key is depressed this map image is moved rapidly from the array to the graphics display buffer. This process takes less than one second to fully display the map. Function keys are used in the Realtime mode as follows. F1 - not used F6 - not used F2 - " " F7 - Slows rate of update. F3 - " " F8 - Increases rate of update. F4 - " " F9 - Toggles between tabulation and map. F5 - Toggles Autotrack on & off. F10- Selects single satellite on map. ***** SET GROUND STATION PARAMETERS FUNCTION ****** This function permits the user to setup his ground station parameters. While the program can be run as it is, it will produce output usable only for the location of W0SL. The user can run it as it is for demonstration purposes if he so wishes. However, before the program will produce output for the user's QTH this function must be selected from the menu and certain input provided. The program will prompt for input of latitude (0 to 90 degrees north or 0 to -90 degrees south), longitude (0 to 360 degrees west) and height above sea level (- if below) of the ground station. Additionally the user is prompted for the input of the station name or call sign (10 alphanumeric characters maximum). Please note that the latitude and longitude are to be in decimal degrees, not degrees, minutes and seconds. Following this the user is prompted to input a choice of map display colors and a preference of how the map should be presented, centered on 0, 90, 180 or 270 degrees. The program then begins to read file LATLONG.DAT and construct the map. This will take a few minutes so the user can get a cup of coffee or just watch at this point. When the map has been constructed, an end of job message prompts the user for action which will return him to the Main Menu. The ground station parameters will have been saved in a file named QTH.DAT and the map image will have been saved in a file named MAP.DAT. The ground station parameters will remain in effect for all subsequent runs of the tracking program until the user decides that he wants to change them. He can do so at any time by selecting this option from the menu. This function also provides for the use of antenna autotracking. If the user does not have that capability it can remain disabled as it is when you receive the program. The autotracking feature is designed to steer the Kenpro KR-5400A/KR5600A rotors when used with the Kenpro KR-010 external computer serial port interface. The software routines used in this program to start and stop the antenna rotors are based on those furnished by Tom Gentry of Encomm, Inc., Dallas, Texas. Tom also has furnished the hardware to permit extensive testing of the interface. NOTE: If your compatible PC is not completly hardware compatible with the IBM-PC, the map might display in white instead of the selected color. (5) ****** FILES ****** ORBITS2.EXE LATLONG.DAT ORBITS2.DOC # QTH.DAT # ELEMENTS.DAT # MAP.DAT # These files are created by ORBITS2.EXE NOTE: Files QTH.DAT and ELEMENTS.DAT are compatible only with ORBITS3 and should not be used with earlier W0SL programs. The converse is also true. ***** ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ***** If the user wants the program to automatically load when the system is booted, the following procedure can be used: 1. Format a new diskette using the FORMAT/S option in DOS 2.0 or later version. 2. If the PC is equipped with a realtime clock (not the PC system clock) then copy onto the diskette the software program that sets the PC system clock. This is a nice feature but not an absolute requirement. 3. Copy all of the programs and files from the ORBITS3 diskette to the new diskette using the COPY *.* option in DOS. 4. Place the new diskette in the default drive. From DOS enter: COPY CON:AUTOEXEC.BAT (followed by ENTER key) (Clock program name if used, followed by ENTER key) ORBITS2 (followed by ENTER key) (Press the F6 key followed by the ENTER key) The program will now run automatically whenever the system is booted on the new diskette. It will load faster from a hard drive. There is a version of this program available for the IBM PC equipped with the Enhanced Color Graphics Adapter (EGA) and Display. The map colors consist of a choice of 15 different colors for the background, map, satellites and map text. The map is much more detailed than the CGA version. Other than this, the EGA version, ORBITS3, is functionally identical with the CGA version, ORBITS2. (6) The rotor control codes sent to the serial port are: COMMAND FUNCTION ------- --------------- R<CR> CW ROTATION L<CR> CCW ROTATION U<CR> UP ELEVATION D<CR> DOWN ELEVATION A<CR> STOP (RIGHT) B<CR> STOP (LEFT) E<CR> STOP (UP) F<CR> STOP (DOWN) C<CR> GET A/D INPUT Response = C<CR><LF>XXXXYYYY<CR><LF> XXXX is an A/D value from 0000 to 1000 (elevation). YYYY is an A/D value from 0000 to 1000 (azimuth). The source code for ORBITS2 and ORBITS3 is not being distributed due to the proprietary routines they contain. It consists of over 1600 lines of multiple statement code. It is also too large to fit on the diskette with the other files. The code is written in Microsoft QuickBASIC 2.X. This is a structured source code and is not compatible for use with interpreted BASIC or the BASIC compiler. ****** OTHER PERSONAL COMPUTERS ****** I would appreciate notification of any other PCs that run these programs successfully so that I can add them to these notes. Please include notes on any special arrangements that are required, if any. When corresponding with me concerning a problem please give me all the data describing what happened, at what point, what you had just done if anything and what version of the program you have. Also, COMPLETLY describe your computer system. Provide any screen printouts if possible. LEADING EDGE Model D - Having graphics capability does not make this computer graphics capable unless you have an RGB color monitor with it. The monochrome monitor will not produce graphics. ***** UPDATE INFORMATION ***** If you wish to be notified of future versions of this program then send a self addressed and stamped envelope to the address below with ORBITS2 written on the back. When significant enhancements are made you will receive a notification via your envelope advising you of that fact and telling how to obtain the new version. This is not an offer to provide everybody a complete list of periodic updates. It is intend as a means to notify you whenever something big and new is provided for a price. Roy D. Welch 908 Dutch Mill Dr. Manchester, Mo. 63011 USA Tel:314-391-1127 Have fun! (7)