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@@TRAKSAT ^FfTRAKSAT^n Satellite Tracking Program for DOS Copyright (C) 1989-1996 By Paul E. Traufler All Rights Reserved E-Mail: wintrak@traveller.com Home Page: http://www.hsv.tis.net/~wintrak ******************************************************* TRAKSAT makes no warranty of any kind either express or implied including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to this software and accompanying documentation. Paul E. Traufler author of TRAKSAT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE TRAKSAT OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. This agreement is governed by the laws of the state of Alabama. ********************************************************* @@OPEN TLE This option will ask for a TLE filename and then try to open it and load the elements. @@EDIT TRAKSAT.INI This option will allow you to edit the INI file inside the program. ^FaUse this option only if you understand the INI file format.^n @@SHELL TO DOS This option allows you to enter into DOS and run a program or some other DOS task. Type EXIT to return to TRAKSAT. @@SYSTEM INFO This option will display some system parameters such as free memory. @@EXIT This option will quit the program. @@HOT KEYS TRAKSAT uses these hot keys to jump to several program selections. (Press the Alt and the listed key at the same time) Alt+C = View/Edit current tracking station data Alt+D = Switch to Delta-Time mode Alt+E = Open a TLE file Alt+G = Ground Track Alt+N = Find a satellite from the list Alt+P = View/Change program defaults Alt+R = Switch to Real-Time mode Alt+X = Exit the program Alt+3 = Rendered 3D view at the satellite F1 = Online help During ANY graphics display pressing ^FaP^n will cause the current screen to be saved to a PCX file. @@PUSH BUTTON Push buttons behave much like a push button on a TV or VCR. Pressing the button causes some action to take place. If the return key is pressed on this button or if the button is selected with the mouse, the associated commanded will be done. @@DATA ENTRY CANCEL BUTTON The current object is a push button. If the return key is pressed on this button or if the button is selected with the mouse, the current data entered in this form will be ^hlost^n. @@DATA ENTRY DONE BUTTON The current object is a push button. If the return key is pressed on this button or if the button is selected with the mouse, the current data entered in this form will be ^hsaved^n. @@FIELDS Entry fields are a flexible method for you to enter data into the program. Most fields are error checked and simple to use. Please enter the required data. @@RADIO BUTTONS AND CHECK BOXES Radio buttons and check boxes allow the user to select predefined options. Radio buttons restrict users to selecting only one selection from a group. While check boxes allow multiple selections to be made. @@LIST BOXES List boxes provide the user with a scrolling list of items to choose from. @@FORMAT OF NORAD 2-LINE DATA NORAD maintains general perturbation element sets on all resident space objects. These element sets are periodically refined so as to maintain a reasonable prediction capability on all space objects. In turn these element sets are provided to users. The element data will be maintained in ASCII format in a file. Data for each satellite will consist of three lines in the following format: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 1 NNNNNU NNNNNAAA NNNNN.NNNNNNNN +.NNNNNNNN +NNNNN-N +NNNNN-N N NNNNN 2 NNNNN NNN.NNNN NNN.NNNN NNNNNNN NNN.NNNN NNN.NNNN NN.NNNNNNNNNNNNNN Line 1 is a 20-character name. Lines 2 and 3 are the standard Two-Line Orbital Element Set Format identical to that used by NASA and NORAD. The format description is: Line 2 Column Description 01-01 Line Number of Element Data 03-07 Satellite Number 10-11 Internat. Designator (Last 2 digits of launch year) 12-14 Internat. Designator (Launch number of the year) 15-17 Internat. Designator (Piece of launch) 19-20 Epoch Year (Last two digits of year) 21-32 Epoch (Julian Day and fractional portion of the day) 34-43 First Time Derivative of the Mean Motion (rev/day^2) or Ballistic Coefficient (Depending of ephemeris type) 45-52 Second Time Derivative of Mean Motion (Blank if N/A) 54-61 BSTAR drag term if GP4 perturbation theory was used. Otherwise radiation pressure coefficient. 63-63 Ephemeris type 65-68 Element number 69-69 Check Sum (Modulo 10) (Letters blanks periods=0; minus sign=1; plus sign=2) Line 3 Column Description 01-01 Line Number of Element Data 03-07 Satellite Number 09-16 Inclination [Degrees] 18-25 Right Ascension of the Ascending Node [Degrees] 27-33 Eccentricity (decimal point assumed) 35-42 Argument of Perigee [Degrees] 44-51 Mean Anomaly [Degrees] 53-63 Mean Motion [Revs per day] 64-68 Revolution number at epoch [Revs] 69-69 Check Sum (Modulo 10) All other columns are blank or fixed. Example: AO-13 1 19216U 88051B 94221.17750886 -.00000167 00000-0 10000-4 0 9430 2 19216 57.7592 237.5053 7223597 347.6665 1.4454 2.09725165 15622 @@OBTAINING TLES The following BBS's have the current satellite data files; RPV BBS Rancho Palos Verdes Ca. SYSOP: Dave Ransom Jr. 310-541-7299 (Primary) or 310-544-8977 24 hours 28800/14400/9600/2400 baud 8 bit NO parity 1 stop. Datalink RBBS System Dallas Texas SYSOP: Dr. Jeff Wallach 214-394-7438 24 hours 28800/14400/9600/2400/1200 baud 8 bit NO parity 1 stop. Clear Skies Madison WI SYSOP: David Mullenix 608-249-7130 24 hours 14400/9600/2400/1200 baud 8 bit NO parity 1 stop. INTERNET SITES: http://www.hsv.tis.net/~wintrak (anonymous FTP) address 129.92.1.66 then go to the pub/space directory @@WHY REGISTER Why should I register ? Well first off it is the right thing to do. If you use TRAKSAT for more than 30 days it is time to register. What do I get by registering TRAKSAT ? 1. Support for Shareware so you can keep getting low-cost software in the future. 2. You will be E-mailed a notice when new versions become available. *** E-Mail Notice ONLY *** 3. Support will be provided to registered users only. 4. The option of getting your name placed on the About screen so everyone will know you registered your program. 5. The warm feeling that you are supporting me in this pursuit. 6. The latest version of the program and new satellite elements also. 7. Support for the Auto Tracker to provide automatic antenna control and Doppler shift radio tuning also. The Auto Tracker is manufactured by Endeavour Electronics (508) 851-5661. Your registration helps support me and my family also. I have spent a great deal of time and effort in this program and would hope that you will be honest and register. I have kept the cost of this program within the reach of almost anyone just try to find another satellite tracking program with all the features of TRAKSAT for less money. Please see the file ORDER.FRM for ordering and pricing information. @@QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS I have retained any and all commercial rights to TRAKSAT and as such can only control its use by controlling the source code. Therefore the source code can only be licensed for use by the author, Paul E. Traufler. The time, money, and energy spent on the development of TRAKSAT has been both informative and interesting, however as with all shareware developers my resources are limited. Support for TRAKSAT, by registering, will be required to continue the improvements and new features. REMEMBER THAT IF YOU USE TRAKSAT ON A REGULAR BASIS YOU ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER THE PROGRAM. TRAKSAT is still growing and improvements WILL BE MADE IF users provide feedback, report errors and REGISTER. The only way this can happen is if you, the user, takes the time to leave me messages or mail on problems or suggestions. I will try to answer your messages in a timely manner. One of the major goals of this project was to make the finest, easiest to use, satellite tracking program available. A PROGRAM THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN USE AND SUCCESSFULLY TRACK SATELLITES! I would suggest the user to OBTAIN A COPROCESSOR if they do not have one already. A coprocessor speeds up math intensive programs, such as TRAKSAT, to a level that was only dreamed about a few years ago. Besides the cost of coprocessors has fallen to a level that most people can afford one with little struggle. As of December 1995, 387's cost $20-$30. @@SPECIAL THANKS I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who helped me either directly or indirectly on this program. First of all my wife, Anita, who understands why I have a hobbie like computers and enjoy working with them. She has not complained about the many hours, in excess of 3000 hours, I have spent working on TRAKSAT. My children have learned to "share" my free time also. Dave Ransom Jr., of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. has kept me going when my interest in the program was slipping away. I did use the city data from his excellent program STSPLUS. I also used several of the references Dave listed in his program. I would highly recommend his program. My thanks to Dave and his wife Vicki. John Williams and Dr. Jeff Wallach, from the Dallas DataLink BBS, have been very helpful in this project also. They have offered data and a helping hand with TRAKSAT. The DataLink BBS has a vast amount of satellite information along with other interests. I would recommend it to others interested in satellite tracking. The DataLink BBS is THE place to learn about obtaining satellite images. My thanks to John and Jeff and their families. I would also like to thank Dr. T.S. Kelso, SYSOP of the Celestial BBS where current satellite data can be downloaded. Several satellite tracking programs are also available on his BBS along with a vast amount of satellite information. Its people like T.S. that make satellite tracking possible by providing the means to obtain current satellite data sets. Good work! Alan Bose has done a wonderful job sparking interest in the Chicago area with his radio "talk shows". He has made satellite watching a simple task even for the beginner. Tune in to WGN AM 720 radio sometime and hear for yourself. To the many other people who have helped with a steady stream of ideas and improvements, THANKS, and keep them coming! @@Getting Started Did you get a complete copy of the program? The following files SHOULD have been included in the archive file. TRAKSAT.EXE The program. TRAKSAT.INI The default data for TRAKSAT. TRAKSAT.CTY The city file for tracking stations. TRAKSAT.DOC TRAKSAT program documentation. TRAKSAT.HLP TRAKSAT help file. TRAKSAT.NDX TRAKSAT help file index. EARTH.DAT World map data file. EARTH.BIN World map data file. TLE.TXT This is the latest NORAD satellite data set, READ.ME Latest notes about the program. TRAK.NEW New features for this version. MODERN.FON This is a font file used for the graphics. FONT.VGA This is a font file used for the menus. ORDER.FRM This file contains TRAKSAT order forms. STAR6A.BIN This is a star data base that is NOT required to run TRAKSAT, it is optional. This data file can be used in the external star data option. It has all stars to magnitude 6.0 in it. What do I need to run the program? In order to run the program the user will need the following hardware/software; IBM or 100% compatible AT,PS/2,286,386,486, 2MB Ram (250K free ram is required), Floppy or Hard Disk (approximately 1Meg free), Text mode display (25x80), CGA, EGA, VGA, or SVGA graphics, HIMEM or some other memory manager installed. Math coprocessor is NOT required BUT RECOMMENDED, (IF A COPROCESSOR IS PRESENT IT WILL BE USED *), PC DOS or MS DOS VERSION 5.0 or above. This version of TRAKSAT WILL NOT RUN ON XT (8088) COMPUTERS, if you are still using a XT computer for satellite tracking you will need to use Version 3.03 or UPDATE the computer. * It should be noted that a coprocessor will be 3 to 4 times faster than the emulator version. If the user plans on using the real-time tracking mode, a coprocessor will "smooth out" the time steps to such a small delta as to appear instantaneously. At any rate the real-time mode runs as fast as the host computer can calculate the data and update the screen. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** This version of TRAKSAT will NOT run on XT (8088) computers, a 286 AT class computer is the minimum hardware supported. @@Running The Program To start TRAKSAT you type "TRAKSAT", without the quotation marks, at the DOS prompt. Several command-line options are available to modify the start-up of the program. See Chapter 2 for details. After the opening screen is displayed the Main Menu will be displayed next. From the Main Menu the user can control the program. The Main Menu is the core of the program, i.e. from this menu the user can setup satellite data, tracking station data, and output selections. What's the Next Step? With the program up and running you will notice a tabular type output screen. The satellite will be AO-13 with Harvest, AL as the tracking station. (These are the factory set defaults.) Press the Esc (escape) key to stop the output. Select Station/Find from the Main Menu a menu box will appear while the city data is being loaded. If you want to cancel the reading of data press Esc. Scroll through the list of stations and find your city. (Relax if you do not find it as you can add to the TRAKSAT.CTY file or edit the changes later.) Be sure to set the UTC Offset for this station. Select Replace Station #1 and then Save. This will make your city the new station number 1. You can add other stations later if you wish. If you want another satellite or tracking mode at program startup select Options/Default from the Main Menu next. You can enter several defaults used by the program or make changes on the fly in some cases. Set the defaults as you requirements may need and select Save. Now TRAKSAT is configured for your needs! Please read Chapter 2, User Options for more details. @@User Options Command-Line options TRAKSAT has several command-line options available that may prove useful. To use any of these commands type "traksat /?", without the quotes. (Replace the ? with one or more of the following commands.) Valid options are; /a = Run Analytical Solution Mode at start up, /m = Use Monochrome mode, /x = Do NOT try to load element data at start-up. /nofont = Do NOT use the VGA font on the menus. (Use this if NOT on a VGA display) /at = Use the Auto Tracker for antenna control. (This is optional support) These commands are not upper/lower case specific. @@TRAKSAT.INI File TRAKSAT has many options available to suit your particular needs. The program stores your options in a file called TRAKSAT.INI. This file is an ASCII text file that can be edited by any word processor that can save as ASCII text. (DOS utility program EDIT works fine.) The program will look for this file in the same place as the program EXE is located. ONE WILL NOT BE CREATED IF IT IS MISSING, however the program will use some defaults to get you started at least. Several options allow you to save your new defaults to the INI file, however the program will first make a backup of the current INI settings to a file called TRAKSAT.BAK. From the File/Edit INI file menu option you can edit the INI file from inside the program. An example of the INI file is included below; ; ; TRAKSAT Version 4.00 INI, Copyright (C) 1996 By Paul E. Traufler ; ; *** A semi-colon in the FIRST column means a comment field *** ; ALL DATA MUST FOLLOW THE = SIGN, ** NO SPACES ** 79 columns MAX ; The section titles i.e., [Program Info] MUST start in column ONE ; ; Program Info, Automatic, and Groups can NOT be set inside the ; program, you must edit the TRAKSAT.INI file and make the desired ; changes. ; [Program Info] Element Filename=tle.txt ; DO NOT END THE OUTPUT PATH WITH A "\" CHARACTER ; Adding an output path is strongly recommended Output Path= ; ; *** CONSULT DOCUMENTATION FOR DETAILS *BEFORE* SETTING VIDEO MODES *** ; -4=EGA 640x350x16, -3=Herc, -2=CGA Mono, -1=VGA Mono, 0=Auto, 1=VGA ; ; If running in Win95 and you have more than 256 color video it is ; best to set the output to 16 color modes as they are faster, or at ; least set to VGA (-1) as this is the fastest display mode. ; ; *** THE MODES LISTED BELOW REQUIRE A SVGA CARD AND MONITOR *** ; *** DAMAGE MAY RESULT IF YOUR HARDWARE DOES NOT SUPPORT THESE MODES *** ; 2=800x600x16, 3=800x600x256, 4=1024x768x16, 5=1024x768x256 ; 6=1280x1024x16, 7=1280x1024x256, 8=640x400x256 Video Mode=1 ; Land fill color for Ground Tracks, 0 none,2=green,6=red,8=gray Color Land=2 ; 0 = no refresh of Ground Track Rev Update Interval=6 ; *** CONSULT DOCUMENTATION FOR DETAILS *BEFORE* SETTING VIDEO MODES *** ;Render Output Video Mode, ** This REQUIRES a 256 color mode ** ;1=640x400x256, 2=640x480x256, 3=800x600x256, 4=1024x768x256, 5=1280x1024x256 Render Video Mode=2 [Defaults] Satellite Name=Mir Run Mode=0 Freq Up=145.750000 Freq Down=440.150000 [Automatic] ; ALL IN LOCAL TIMES I WILL USE STATION #1 UTC OFFSET Start Time=18.0 Length Hours=24.0 ; 0 = ALL, 1 = Group One, etc. Group=0 [Options] Sensor=1 Sun Terminator=1 Grids=1 Visible Only=0 Star Direction=3 Star Names=1 Internal Stars=1 External Stars=1 Star Time Tags=1 Star Update Interval=18.0000 Star Mag Limit=5.0000 Ra Dec Output=0 UTC Output=0 [Auto Tracker] ; ONLY WITH THE REGISTERED VERSION, optional Comm Port=2 Home Azimuth=0 Home Elevation=0 Limit Azimuth=5 Limit Elevation=3 Max Elevation=90 Mic Step=100 [Station 1] Station 1 Name=Harvest,AL Station 1 Lat=34.7900 Station 1 Lon=-86.6790 Station 1 Alt=220.00 Station 1 UTC Offset=-5.0 Station 1 Min Elevation=0.0 Station 1 Max Range=2000.0 Station 1 Visibility=1 Station 1 Twilight=-10.0 [Station 2] [Station 3] [Group 1] ;25 Satellites Max. Per Group Group1 Satellite01=Mir Group1 Satellite02=HST Group1 Satellite03=HST Array Group1 Satellite04=ARSENE [Group 2] ;25 Satellites Max. Per Group Group2 Satellite01=NOAA 9 Group2 Satellite02=NOAA 10 Group2 Satellite03=NOAA 12 Group2 Satellite04=Meteor 3-4 Group2 Satellite05=Meteor 3-5 Group2 Satellite06=Meteor 3-6 [Group 3] ;25 Satellites Max. Per Group Group3 Satellite01=AO-13 Group3 Satellite02=Mir Group3 Satellite03=OSCAR 10 [Attitude] ;Six Satellites Max. Attitude Satellite1=AO-13 ;NORAD ID Number Attitude ID1=19216 ;Bahn lat/lon in Degrees Attitude BLAT1=0.0 Attitude BLON1=180.0 [Multi Satellites] ;Max. of SIX satellites Multi 1=ARSENE Multi 2=Mir Multi 3=NOAA 12 Multi 4=AO-13 Multi 5= Multi 6= ;Colors 0=black, 1=blue, 2=green, 3=cyan, 4=red, 5=magenta, 6=brown ;7=white, 8=dk gray, 9=lt blue, 10=lt green, 11=lt cyan, 12=lt red ;13=lt magenta, 14=yellow, 15=bright white Multi Color 1=14 Multi Color 2=5 Multi Color 3=4 Multi Color 4=15 Multi Color 5=13 Multi Color 6=11 The user can choose a color from the palette of; 1 = BLUE 0 = BLACK 2 = GREEN 9 = LIGHT BLUE 3 = CYAN 10 = LIGHT GREEN 4 = RED 11 = LIGHT CYAN 5 = MAGENTA 12 = LIGHT RED 6 = BROWN 13 = LIGHT MAGENTA 7 = WHITE 14 = LIGHT YELLOW 8 = GRAY 15 = BRIGHT WHITE It is important that you follow the this format or unexpected results may occur. Please note that any data after the = sign must be without any spaces. Most of the options have comments by them so you will not get into trouble and error checking is done on the data also. Some areas of the INI file can only be changed by editing the file and making the changes. The areas include Program Info, Automatic, and Groups can NOT be set inside the program, you must edit the TRAKSAT.INI file and make the desired changes. USE ONLY AN ASCII SAVING EDITOR, one such as the DOS EDIT program. Under the File Options is a option to Edit the TRAKSAT.INI file from inside the program also. @@SVGA - VESA Modes ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** Some of the higher resolution modes require special hardware to run. You may damage your hardware if you exceed its capabilities. do not attempt to set any graphic modes above 640x480 (VGA) or Video Modes over 1 without ensuring that you monitor can safely handle that resolution. Otherwise, you may risk damaging your display monitor. Consult your owner's manual for details. An example of the standard graphics modes would be; VGA mode 640x480 pixels, EGA mode 640x350 pixels, CGA mode 640x200 pixels, If the hardware does NOT support graphics an error message will be displayed and the program will return to the Main Menu. All of the text modes will still be available however. VESA Modes Supported (pixels x,y and total colors) 640x400x256 VESA Mode 100 640x480x256 VESA Mode 101 800x600x16 VESA Mode 102 800x600x256 VESA Mode 103 1024x768x16 VESA Mode 104 1024x768x256 VESA Mode 105 1280x1024x16 VESA Mode 106 1280x1024x256 VESA Mode 107 All require VESA version 1.2 The Rendered 3D views REQUIRE a 256 color mode for output. @@Main Menu Station Options The first Station option, Find will display the tracking stations listed in the file TRAKSAT.CTY. The city data file has ~1970 of the larger U.S. cities latitude, longitudes, and altitudes in it. (Some world-wide cities also.) You will be asked to replace what tracking station number, 1, 2, or 3 with the new data first. The first time you run the program and you want to set your station you should select the number 1 option, from then on either number 2 or 3 would be recommended. The program can have up to 3 tracking stations. The current station will have a check mark before its name. Once you have the desired tracking stations loaded and saved you can select one of them by just selecting the station name from the Main Menu. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The latitudes used in TRAKSAT are ALL considered to be GEODETIC latitudes NOT GEOCENTRIC. It will be left up to the user to determine the conversion from geocentric to geodetic latitude. (For the most part this conversion should not be required as MOST maps and atlas coordinates are listed as geodetic.) The altitude measurement is the altitude above mean sea-level and is in meters. If you can not find a match to the city data then you will need to use a text editor to add the city data in the file TRAKSAT.CTY or use the closest city in the file. Below is an example from the TRAKSAT.CTY file. The format of the tracking station file is; City Name Long. Lat. Alt. (deg) (deg) (m) Harvest,AL,-86.6792,34.7972,220. The city name can be up to 20 characters long while the longitude, latitude, and altitude can be up to 10 characters long. Commas MUST separate the data fields and the program expects 4 commas per line of data. The TRAKSAT.CTY file can hold a MAXIMUM of 2100 tracking stations in it. The user can enter city data into the TRAKSAT.CTY file in any order but it would be wise to include the data in an alphabetical order. Once you have setup your tracking stations you can change its settings by first selecting it as the current station. Next select the Station/Current option and may any changes you require "on-the-fly". If you select Ok the changes are not made to the INI settings but rather used only while the program is in operation. If your location is NOT in the included file you may select any close by city and use this option to make the required changes. Save this new data and you will be all set now. @@Time Modes TRAKSAT can operate in two different time modes, Real-time and Delta-time. (The delta-time mode is starting at some particular date and time using a user defined time increment until a ending time is reached.) To change time modes in TRAKSAT the user can select Time from the Main Menu. The two time mode options will be displayed with a check mark before the current mode name. The Real-time mode will update the screen at 1 second intervals if the hardware will allow. For an AT class machine with no coprocessor, the update time may be 5 to 10 seconds. An AT class computer with a coprocessor can do the 1 second per update with no trouble. If you would like to track a satellite from say today's date to some future date, the Delta-time mode is the choice to use. The basic idea is track from some starting date to some stopping date. If the user selects the Delta-time mode some additional information will be required. The starting date and time along with the length of the simulation. The time step will also need to be entered. The program will display "defaults" that can be accepted or edited to suit your needs. It is noted that the maximum length, that is from the starting date to some future time, of the simulation is 99 days 99 hours 99 minutes 99 seconds. The step size can be 1 second to a maximum of 2 days. (1 Minute is the default.) ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The time is read from the system clock, and as such is only as accurate as the setting of this clock. The date and time should be set before running TRAKSAT. @@Plotting Options The plotting options include settings for all of the graphic screens used in the program. Grids will turn on/off any grids or either lat/long or azimuth/elevation. The Sensor will plot the satellite footprint. You can adjust the size of the footprint by setting the minimum sensor angle setting under the Station options. You can use the internal stars or the external user stars as required also. The last plotting option Ra&Dec Output will only display the right ascension/declination of the satellite in the Tabular modes ONLY. (The Star background option will ALWAYS have it.) Star Update Interval will set the desired interval between star background updates. The recommended setting is 15 minutes. The INI file has the default value. You can set the magnitude limit for the Star Background plotting output from here also. @@Output Descriptions The Lat and Long are the satellite latitude and longitude. The Azim and Elev are azimuth and elevation as seen from the tracking station, while the Range is the distance from the satellite to the tracking station. Alt is the satellite altitude above the earth. The azimuth is always between 0 and 360 degrees with north being 0, east 90 south 180 and so on. The elevation will be always be between -90 and +90 degrees. If the elevation is less than zero the satellite is below the horizon as seen from the tracking station. The doppler shift comes about from the simple fact that both the satellite and the ground station are in motion. The relative motion between the station and the satellite causes either a compression or expansion of a radio signal, this is called the doppler shift. TRAKSAT will calculate a doppler shift for two frequencies, uplink/downlink. The base frequency is listed in the INI file under the section labeled [Defaults]. The output units are in Hertz while the inputs are in MHz. The phase angle, Phz is used for the amateur radio satellites. The phase angle is based on the mean-anomaly, (the position in the orbital plane from the perigee). The mean-anomaly is normally measured from 0 to 360 degrees, however the phase angle is from 0 to 256ths of a circle. The conversion of degrees mean-anomaly to phase angle is; Phase = (mean anomaly (deg))/(360/256). (256ths of circle) It has become common practice with radio amateur satellites to use Mean Anomaly to schedule satellite operations. Satellites commonly change modes or turn on or off at specific places in their orbits, specified by Mean Anomaly. Unfortunately, when used this way, it is common to specify the mean anomaly in units of 256ths of a circle instead of degrees. The phase angle is therefore displayed in units of 256ths of a circle. The Sqt is the squint angle, this is a measure of the angle from the satellite antenna to your tracking station. The smaller the angle means the antenna is pointing directly at you. A -1 output means that no attitude information for that satellite is available. The last item displayed is based on if the satellite is visible from the tracking station. See Chapter 13 for a complete description of the methods used by TRAKSAT to test for visibility. @@Freeze The Display ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** To stop the display the user can press the space bar and the screen will "freeze". The user will need to press any key again to continue the simulation. If the user presses Esc, escape key, the simulation will stop and the user will be returned to the Main Menu. @@Analytical Solution TRAKSAT version 2.00 and above has included a very powerful option, Analytical Rise & Set. Many people have asked "why use this analytical approach ?". Three reasons come to mind speed, speed, and speed! The analytical approach used is a closed form solution to the problem of determining when a satellite can be seen (either LOS or Optical) by a ground tracking station. In effect, this problem usually involves the calculation of the rise-and-set time (UTC) of a given satellite from a specific ground tracking station. In the past, it has been the custom to solve the problem by letting the satellite run through its ephemeris, and checking at each instant to see whether the elevation angle of the satellite was greater than some minimum value. However, by attacking the problem from a different point of view, that is, with the eccentric anomaly taken to be the independent variable, it is possible to obtain a closed-form solution to the satellite visibility problem. Specifically, the closed-form solution is a single transcendental equation in the eccentric anomalies corresponding to a rise-and-set time for a given orbital pass of a satellite. It is more difficult to solve the controlling equation than the standard Keplerian equation. However, the method offers the advantage that the controlling equation is solved only ONCE PER ORBIT PERIOD as contrasted with the hundreds of times the Keplerian equation must be solved with the standard step-by-step technique. "How much faster is the analytical solution ?" Several "benchmarks" were run using the same satellite data sets and starting times to determine the speed of each method. If the user selects the Delta Time Mode and then the Analytical Solution the speed difference will be obvious. On the machine used for testing (coprocessor installed) the analytical solution runs about 4 seconds per satellite per 24 hours of simulation time vs. the 120 seconds per 24 hours in the delta time mode. (This was on a 386/16 with a 287/8 coprocessor and still produced a 3000% DECREASE in the time required.) (A 486/33 computer can crank out 20 satellites per second!) This mode can really be boosted by a coprocessor, 3-6 times faster! Use the analytical solution for "rough" estimates and the delta time mode for the detailed analysis. The term "rough" implies that the analytical solution is not as accurate as the Delta Time mode, and in fact that is true. The error (Delta Time mode vs. Analytical Solution) is usually LESS then 1 minute for predicted rise or set times. The error is the price to pay for the speed advantage. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The analytical solution DOES INCLUDE THE DRAG EFFECTS in the calculations, (as of TRAKSAT version 2.30). By including the drag effects in the solution a long term prediction can be done without a great loss of accuracy. It has proved helpful for several TRAKSAT users to predict several weeks into the future any visible passes and make a note of the dates. As the date approaches and newer elements become available the user can "improve" the viewing times to finally obtain an accurate prediction of the satellites. Using this approach the user can mark "special" days when a particular satellite should be seen. The analytical solution will save the user from "looking" for satellites that will not be seen, or unfavorable passes. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** If the user selects the analytical solution AND any OPTICAL visibility tests then only satellites with a mean motion of greater than 2.5 revs per day will be calculated. That is any satellite that is "near geosync." will not be calculated. This should NOT be of to great importance to most users as seeing ANY near geosync. satellites is VERY DIFFICULT. The line of sight (LOS) method will still work for the near geosync. satellites. If the user needs to "see" a near geosync. satellite then the single satellite delta time mode OR Batch Mode will be required. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The analytical solution works by revs NOT so much time, by that I mean that the program calculates at rev to rev time steps and does NOT use the time step. This will also mean that if the user were to set a one hour simulation length the program will find some satellites outside this time interval because there are not any satellites that can have a period of 60 minutes. (Don't be alarmed by the longer than requested times in the output it is normal operation.) ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The user can NOT stop/start the screen as in the other modes, i.e., pressing Esc will STOP the display and terminate the analytical solution. This method was chosen to avoid inadvertently waiting for the screen to update while in a pause mode. The screen update can be slow on an Optical visibility test and a NON-coprocessor equipped machine. (There may not be any satellites optically visible at all!) ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The default is to write output to the file TRAKSAT.000. If this file name exists the program will try TRAKSAT.001, TRAKSAT.002... and so on until a new file name is found. If the limit of 999 is reached then the program will use 000 as the extension AND OVER WRITE THE FILE. (All options will use this file naming method.) @@All/Group Satellites You have the choice with the analytical solution and Batch options to select all of the satellites in the data file or some user defined groups of satellites. The default will be to read ALL of the satellites for these options. You can define your "favorite" satellites, up to 25 satellites per group can be included. You will need to use a word processor to edit the TRAKSAT.INI file and add the satellites names to it. The word processor used will need to save the file in PLAIN ASCII format, i.e., NO SPECIAL CONTROL CHARACTERS EXCEPT THE END OF FILE MARKER. The DOS EDIT word processor will do the job nicely for the user. @@Batch Mode Output TRAKSAT version 2.55 and above has included a new option, called Batch Mode. This option is similar to the Tabular Output mode but can be used on all or a group of satellites. The method used in this option is; enter into the delta time mode and select the starting date/time and length of the simulation. The next step is to select Batch Mode from the Output options. The program will prompt the user for some additional information and then run each satellite through the delta tabular mode one at a time. The output from this option can go to the screen, file, or both. Below is an example of the file output created with this option. The starting date/time was 12-26-94 00:00:00 UTC to 00:04:00 UTC by one minute steps. The output parameters are same as the tabular output but without the rev. number. If no passes are visible just the satellite name will be printed. @@Ground Track Output If the ground track option is entered the program proceeds to draw a Mercator projection map of the world. The upper left corner is at latitude 90 degrees and longitude -180 degrees, while the lower right corner is latitude -90 degrees and longitude 180 degrees. The grid spacing is 10 degrees for latitude and longitude. A box will be plotted for the current tracking station. The plotting process may take a minute or two on a slow AT type computer, something under 1/3 second on the particular computer I use. (486-33 MHz.) You have the option of redrawing the ground track after "X" number of revs have been completed. The default is 0 = NONE, however the user can chose between 0 and 99 revs for the screen refresh rate. If the user picks 2 rev refresh rate then after two revs are completed the screen will be redrawn. This option will prove useful for those users who like to leave the ground track running for long periods of time and do not like all the screen clutter. The setting is in the INI file under the section [Program Defaults] and is called Rev Update Interval. Several plotting options are used with this output selection see Chapter 2 for a listing of the options. The sun terminator is not dependent on the satellite but rather the tracking station. The terminator is plotted based on a zero sun elevation angle. (That is to say the terminator is the line where the top edge of the sun is "just" below the local horizon.) The terminator is accurate to about 5-10 minutes of actual. The effects of the local horizon and atmospheric refraction can "shift" the terminator a few minutes anyway so great accuracy may not be achieved. The sun is plotted as an box in the center of the terminator. This will tell the user on what side of the terminator the tracking station is on. (Daylight or darkness.) The sun terminator will be refreshed every 4 minutes in either the real or delta time modes. The refresh may take several seconds on the slower machines. As of TRAKSAT version 2.70 and above an antenna/sensor coverage plot option is included with the ground track. The user can include the antenna/sensor coverage if desired along with a minimum elevation angle to be used in determining the coverage area. @@Star Background Output The star background is a view looking from the tracking site towards the stars. This plot will be useful for producing a "star map" to take outside with you to compare the night sky with the satellite path. Several Star Background plotting options are available such as, display the visible star names, what direction to look, i.e., North, East, South, or West, or the star background screen refresh rate. (Only the internal star data names will be displayed, not the external star data.) The field of view of the star background is 180 degrees in azimuth and 0 through 90 degrees in elevation. If you select North the visible range of the azimuth will be 270 degrees (west) to 90 degrees (east). If you select East the visible range of the azimuth will be 0 degrees (north) to 180 degrees (south) with 90 degrees being the center of the screen (due east). The option South will display from 90 degrees (east) to 270 degrees (west). The option for West will display from 180 degrees to 360 degrees with 270 degrees (west) being the center of the screen (due west). An example could be to see a satellite rise out of the west the user would select W, that will display from due south through west to the north. The star background option will display visible stars from a database of 58 navigational stars, the Sun, the planets, and the moon. (Not including any external star data.) TRAKSAT has the data for 58 stars in memory at all times however you can read a external star data file (STAR6A.BIN). This file has all the stars up to magnitude 6.0, some 5100 stars in all. In order to use the external stars the file STAR6A.BIN MUST be in the same directory as the EXE file. You must also select the option to use the external stars. If you do NOT have a co- processor using the external stars will slow down the screen update. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The program can save the screen display to a PCX file by pressing the "P" key. The program will save to a new file the screen image. The PCX file can be used in other programs or printed with some paint-type programs. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** It is noted that the star background will be refreshed (USER DEFINED) minutes, in either delta or real time modes. It is therefore wise to select a starting time about 1 minute PRIOR to the time of interest and run the program in the delta mode until PAST the time of interest. An example of this would be; @@Output Orthographic Views If the user selects the Orthographic View Main Menu a 3-D orthographic projection of the earth and the satellite will be drawn. The perspective will be centered on the satellite. A small "X" will mark the tracking station coordinates. The grid lines are drawn 10 degrees apart with the orthographic projections. The screen will be updated based on the satellite altitude and how much it has moved from the last update. The Sun terminator can be plotted on this view also. **************************************************************** THE 3-D PROJECTION WILL BE SLOW ON AT TYPE COMPUTERS WITHOUT A COPROCESSOR SO IF THE USER DOES NOT WANT TO WAIT FOR THE COMPLETE EARTH TO PLOT OUT PRESS ANY KEY AND THE EARTH LAND MASS PLOT WILL STOP AND THE SATELLITE VIEW WILL START. (Only the grid lines will be displayed.) **************************************************************** The screen can be stopped and started the same way as any other graphic modes, i.e., space bar to freeze and Esc to stop. 3D View New with this version is a 3D view. The output mode will center the screen over the current tracking station and hold the earth still while the satellite will pass around the earth. This view is the best output for the Delta-Time modes. @@Rendered 3D Views GREAT views! The rendered 3D views are fully shadowed by the Sun and are perhaps the best display for any satellite tracking program. There are two different views, one centered on the satellite and the other centered on the tracking station. On slower computers this display will take a few seconds to display. The program is generating a PCX file that can be displayed by any other program that reads PCX files. @@Multi Modes TRAKSAT has several multi-modes of operation besides the single satellite modes. The mode are Multi-Satellite Tabular or Ground Tracks, and Multi-Station modes. The program reads the INI file for the names of the satellites to look for or you can select the Load Multi-Sat option to make changes to the satellites. Below is an example of this screen. @@Multi-Satellite Tabular Output As of TRAKSAT version 2.30 and above a tabular multi-tracking mode has been included. The output is in text rather than a graphic display mode. Below is an example of the multi-tracking tabular output mode. The different satellites will be displayed in different colors also, the colors are the same as the ground track options. @@Multi-Satellite Ground Track Output If the ground track option is chosen the program will proceed to plot the tracks on the world map. The plots are very similar to the single satellite plots, except that for every satellite a different colored line is drawn. The user can select a satellite to display the current data bye pressing the up/down arrows. The colors will change as will the satellite name on the bottom of the screen. @@Multi-Station Text Mode You may select a Multi-Station mode also. This mode will display the current tracking data for up to three different stations. This mode is useful for setting-up satellite communications for two different stations. The date/time are based on the first station, number 1, UTC Offset. @@Registration/Updates TRAKSAT is Shareware and your support is required. You would be amazed at the reasons people give for not registering the program. Some of the more funny ones are; (THESE ARE ACTUAL QUOTES FROM LETTERS OR TELEPHONE CALLS AND EVEN FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS. The names have been removed to protect their identity.) "Your fee ($25.00) is too low and I think it is worth much more so until the price goes up I'm not going to register." "Your fee is too high, I can not afford to register and buy that new computer also." "I do not know how to register the program as I'm new to computers." "I only use TRAKSAT once or twice a week so I don't use it enough to register." "I have been using TRAKSAT for many years and think it is the best program I have used for satellite tracking but I don't get anything EXTRA for the registration fee." "I lost the registration form." "I'll send you a check soon." "The check is in the mail." "My brother/wife/son/friend registered so I'm using their copy." "I think the program will not do what I want but I use it because it is free." "The program has too many features that I do not need so I will send $5.00 to register." "Send me the registered copy and I'll see if it suit my needs then I'll register the program." The user can obtain the latest version (NON-registered) of TRAKSAT from several BBSs around the country. The BBSs listed in Chapter 11 list several places to obtain the current version. Compuserve has TRAKSAT and many other related files also. (Try the HAM or the ASTRONOMY file areas.) You may even register TRAKSAT on Compuserve. The Internet is the best place to get your copy from. TRAKSAT will be updated 1-2 times a year with update notices going out to registered users only. Order forms are in this help file and in the file ORDER.FRM also. @@Satellite Magnitudes Below is a list of some satellites that are "good hunting" for the optical users. (First timers should look for the smallest magnitude satellites, i.e., Mir, Kvant-1, HST.) Norad Vis Satellite Name ID# Mag* 00694 3.0 Atlas Centaur 2 01001 3.3 Transtage 3 01359 3.3 Transtage 4 03598 3.0 OAO 2 R/B 04597 3.3 Cosmos 374 R/B 04622 3.3 Cosmos 375 R/B 04786 1.9 Cosmos 382 04966 2.3 Cosmos 398 05994 .9 Pageos 06155 3.0 OAO 3 R/B (Copernicus R/B) 06212 2.7 1972-076A Radcat 06779 3.0 IntelSat 4 F-3 R/B 08074 1.6 Pageos 1 DEB (Pageos H) 10967 3.0 SeaSat 1 12054 2.4 Cosmos 1220 12069 3.0 FltSatCom 4 R/B 12363 3.0 Comstar 4 R/B 12445 3.0 IntelSat 5-2 R/B 12465 -1.6 Cosmos 1271 R/B 12497 3.0 IntelSat 5-1 R/B 13007 3.0 IntelSat 5-3 R/B 15423 2.5 KH 11-6 15772 2.9 Cosmos 1656 R/B(4) 16182 2.5 Cosmos 1697 R/B 16609 -.4 Mir Space Station 16615 3.2 Spot 1 R/B 16910 2.8 EGP/JAS-1 R/B 17358 2.9 Cosmos 1603 R/B(4) 17369 3.3 Cosmos 1818 17528 3.1 MOS-1 R/B 17590 2.5 Cosmos 1833 R/B 17845 -.4 Kvant-1 (part of Mir) 17974 2.5 Cosmos 1844 R/B 18187 3.3 Cosmos 1867 18441 2.5 KH 11-7 19120 2.5 Cosmos 1943 R/B 19274 3.3 Okean 1 19460 3.3 USA 32 19461 3.3 USA 32 R/B 19625 2.5 KH 11-8 19650 .7 Cosmos 1980 R/B 19671 1.8 Lacrosse 19911 2.7 Delta Star 20147 2.4 Cosmos 2033 20261 3.3 In-Cosmos 24 20322 1.8 Cosmic Background Explorer 20335 -.4 Kvant-2 (part of Mir) 20443 3.1 Spot 2 R/B 20491 3.1 MOS-1B R/B 20516 2.0 USA 53 20523 3.0 IntelSat 6-3 20525 2.4 Cosmos 2060 20580 -.8 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) 20625 2.5 Cosmos 2082 R/B 20635 -.4 Kristall Module (part of Mir) 20638 3.2 ROSAT 20683 3.2 Gamma 20765 2.4 Cosmos 2096 20963 2.0 USA 67 (STS-38 Payload) 20985 2.4 Cosmos 2107 21015 2.5 Cosmos 2112 R/B 21065 2.4 Cosmos 2122 21147 1.8 Lacrosse 2 21148 2.9 Lacrosse 2 R/B 21213 2.2 Almaz 1 radar spacecraft 21225 2.8 Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) 21311 -.4 Soyuz TM-12 (part of Mir) 21610 3.1 ERS-1 R/B 21638 -1.1 STS-43 (landed) 21653 3.0 Intelsat-6 21662 -.4 Progress M9 (part of Mir) 21700 -1.1 STS-48 (landed) * This magnitude is an approximation, it assumes 75% illumination of the satellite and 900 Km slant range. @@Frequencies Below are some frequencies used by satellites for different reasons. Freq. (MHz) Satellite Type Mode 29.357 RS-10 Amateur CW 29.360-400 RS-10 " SSB/CW 29.407 RS-11 " CW 29.410-450 RS-11 " SSB/CW 29.454 RS-12 " CW 29.458 RS-13 " CW 136.380 GOES 1/2/3 Weather APT 136.770 NOAA 11 " APT 137.050 Meteosat 1 " APT 137.500 NOAA 10/12 " APT 137.626 NOAA 9/11 " APT 143.625 Mir Manned FM/Voice 145.550 Shuttle " FM/Voice 145.825 OSCAR 13 Amateur CW 145.825-975 RS-14 " FM/PACSAT 435.651 OSCAR 13 " CW/PACKET 435.715-999 OSCAR 13 " CW/SSB 1227.6 GPS DOD Data 1614 GEOS Weather TLM @@J2000 The Ra & Dec are based on the J2000 epoch, 1,1.5,2000 UTC date, and are NOT user selectable, perhaps in the next version of TRAKSAT. The J2000 epoch is the "current" epoch on most star charts. @@Visibility Options Used in TRAKSAT There are three different methods used by TRAKSAT to determine visibility. The first method is simply when the elevation is greater than the tracking station minimum elevation angle. This method is called line of sight (LOS) in the program. This method would be suitable for monitoring satellite radio transmissions, interesting RF signals no doubt. It should be noted that at most tracking sites zero degrees elevation is not visible due to ground based obstructions, i.e. trees buildings, and other such objects. A rule of thumb is if you hold out your arm straight and stick out your thumb horizontal to the ground so it appears to touch the horizon the upper edge of your thumb is about two degrees elevation, while your closed fist is about ten degrees elevation. The second method, optical visibility, requires the satellite to be above the minimum elevation setting also, however the satellite must be sun-lit while the tracking station is in darkness. This method would be used for viewing satellites with the aid of say binoculars. Remember that three conditions must be meet for the satellite to be optically visible. 1. The elevation angle to the satellite must be above the minimum as seen from the tracking station. 2. The sun must be BELOW the twilight setting. The recommended twilight setting is -12°. 3. The satellite must "see" the sun or the satellite must be in the sun light not the earth shadow. The third method uses the same conditions as the second option (Optical) but adds a range test also. You can set the maximum range for each station and filter out un-wanted passes based on range. It is of interest to note that some satellites are NOT visible even if the elevation angle is above the horizon, because they are in the earth's shadow. It is difficult to observe a satellite "coming out" of the earth's shadow, it is easier to see the entrance into the shadow. If the lighting conditions are favorable a "bright" satellite can be seen with the naked eye also. The best time for these favorable lighting conditions usually occur an hour before sun rise or an hour after sun set, as seen at the tracking site. The best type of satellite is low, about 250 - 500 kilometer altitude, ones for naked eye observations. (Mir, Hubble, Shuttle are a good examples.) ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** The recommended twilight setting is -12°, i.e., the sun is greater than or equal to -12 degrees BELOW the local horizon, to determine the lighting conditions. The user CAN change the type of twilight used in TRAKSAT, i.e., civil, nautical, or astrodynamic, when using the optical visibility options. The type of visibility can be set from the Station/Current option, the default is to use the LOS method. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** With either method the visual magnitude is NOT calculated. Such a calculation would require knowledge about the emissivity of the satellite, and atmospheric conditions, neither of which is readily available to the user. @@Program Limitations and Assumptions The ephemeris equations DO include the zonal harmonics, through 2nd order, of the gravitational potential. This implies a gravitational field produced by an oblate spheroidal earth unsymmetrical with respect to the equator, pear-shaped. In other words, the ephemeris equations contain J2, J3, and J4 terms. The currently accepted values of J2, J3, and J4, which are used in TRAKSAT, are; -3 J2 = 1.082616 X 10 -6 J3 = -2.53881 X 10 -6 J4 = -1.65597 X 10. The earth equatorial radius used by TRAKSAT is; 6378.135 Km, while the flattening factor used is 1/298.257 (both are from the 1972 WGS models). The program TRAKSAT models only ELLIPTICAL orbital motion about the earth. That is, the orbital eccentricity MUST BE LESS THAN ONE and GREATER THAN ZERO. Very small eccentricities are acceptable, i.e., such as 0.0000001. TRAKSAT will propagate NORAD/NASA 2-line elements until the MEAN altitude above the earth reaches 160 Km. This is due to the fact that at 160 Km altitude the satellite will decay from orbit very soon. The prediction process is not as accurate for such a low satellite. (The remaining lifetime of a low satellite could be on the order of a day or less.) The mean altitude is based on the semi-major axis of both the earth and the satellite. @@Accuracy of TRAKSAT Several people have asked the question; " How accurate is TRAKSAT ?". To answer such a question one must define a set of limits. The real "acid test" is to have a prediction from TRAKSAT and then go outside and observe that satellite, taking note of the time and position of the satellite. A comparison between actual observed data and predicted can then be determined. Another approach is to compare the output from TRAKSAT against several other satellite tracking programs. Both the public domain and the commercial markets have several good tracking programs that the user could compare with. The later approach, that is the comparison between tracking programs, has been carried out by several people including myself. The output from TRAKSAT compares very well with many of the "current" tracking programs (both commercial and public domain). It could be concluded from a simple test of TRAKSAT that it agrees with several other tracking programs. The next step is one of comparing predicted output and observed data. The most popular use for TRAKSAT has been in the optical sighting options. The optical sighting of a satellite will be the "acid test" used for this accuracy test. First a note about NASA 2-line elements, low earth satellites (about 15 rev per day satellites) have larger disturbances from the atmosphere than higher satellites. The drag on a satellite can cause purtubations greater than the J2 terms therefore the drag term is of great importance. The very latest elements for the low earth satellite can greatly improve the prediction process, while the higher satellites do not require as current of elements. (The term low will be in the range of 250 - 375 kilometers altitude.) Reports about TRAKSAT (and its predictions) have been made on the MIR satellite along with several other low earth satellites. The bottom line being LESS THAN 30 SECONDS ERROR (prediction vs. actual) for 10 day old satellite element sets. If the satellite elements are 20 days old the error is about 60 seconds. If the elements a only a day or two old, errors of less than 10 seconds are possible (several reports have been made about 2-10 seconds of error). The position data is on the money, it is the time at that position that usually drives the accuracy of the observation. The higher earth satellites generally have less than 30 seconds of error for 20 day old elements. A NOTE MUST BE MADE ABOUT THE ERROR ANALYSIS, THE ASSUMPTION IS MADE THAT NO ORBITAL MANEUVERING WAS DONE TO THE SATELLITE DURING THE "TEST" PERIOD. In general it can be said that the most current elements are the best ones for planning the evenings viewing. (Elements over 30 days old can have a very large error to them). Element sets 7 -14 days old will be acceptable for most users. NORAD/NASA updates the satellite elements for this very reason, to keep the prediction process accurate. The Hubble Telescope is a good example of a "high" satellite that is fairly easy to see because it is bright. Myself and others have reported actual vs. predicted times of shadow entry to within 10 SECONDS with 13 day old elements! That is less than one second per day error! @@Problems TRAKSAT has been fully tested on MANY different types of computers, however due to the very nature of personal computers and different user configurations it is not possible to test the program with all possible configurations. It may be possible that some versions of DOS or some computers will not be 100% compatible and cause the program to stop. THE FIRST STEP TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IS TO READ THE DOCUMENTATION INCLUDED WITH TRAKSAT. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** A few users have reported TRAKSAT not running on one of their computers after installing Windows 3.x. A possible solution would be that some installations place the DOS command "STACKS 0,0" in the CONFIG.SYS file. This command should be changed to "STACKS 9,256", this MAY solve the problem. It is not all-together clear why some computers require this command but at least it is an easy fix! *** PROTECTED MODE AS OF VERSION 4.00 *** TRAKSAT is a large program and uses protected mode to run, this requires a 286 processor or better and at least 2 Meg of memory. You are also REQUIRED to have some memory manager also such as HIMEM (DOS 5.0 and up) or QEMM, MAX386, under Windows 3.1 as a enhanced DOS window, or Win95. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** TRAKSAT version 4.00 will NOT run on XT (8088) computers. The XT type computer is not really suited to satellite tracking and if you are serious about satellite tracking you will use better hardware. TRAKSAT makes use of the VESA extended video modes also, in fact the Rendered options REQUIRE a 256 color mode in order to operate. If you have the hardware it is best to use the higher resolution video modes. Please consult your computer manual for more information. ****************** * IMPORTANT NOTE * ****************** TRAKSAT will use the latest VESA standard (1.2) for all SVGA modes. Some older video cards may NOT work with the 256 color output. @@Order Form TRAKSAT Satellite Tracking Program TRAKSAT Order Form -------------------------------------------------------------- Make checks payable to: Paul E. Traufler 111 Emerald Drive Harvest, AL 35749 --------------------------------------------------------------- Qty ____ TRAKSAT NON-REGISTERED Version at $7.00 Each $_________ ____ TRAKSAT REGISTERED Version at $25.00 Each $_________ ____ WinTrak Windows Satellite Tracking Program $_________ (* NOT A SHAREWARE PROGRAM *) $49.95 Each ____ WinTrak Pro Win95 Satellite Tracking Program $_________ (* NOT A SHAREWARE PROGRAM *) $69.95 Each ====> Shipping and Handling (USA $4.00 Per Unit) $_________ (Outside USA $6.00 Per Unit) (UPS 2nd Day Shipping Charge (USA only) $10.00) ----------------------------------------------------- (THESE ITEMS ARE OPTIONAL FOR TRAKSAT) ____ Auto Tracker Control Option $30.00 Each $_________ ____ Place your name in the program $5.00 $_________ ____ TRAKSAT Printed Manual $15.00 Each $_________ Total $_________ All Are Supplied On 1.44 MB Disks Payment: (check or circle one): [ ] Check [ ] Money Order [ ] Cash [ ] Other Checks and Money Orders must be drawn on U.S. banks in U.S. funds ** PLEASE PRINT ** Name _______________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Phone _____________________ E-Mail _________________________ Comments ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ E-Mail: wintrak@traveller.com Home Page: http://www.hsv.tis.net/~wintrak 4.00 @