RE: [amsat-bb] PREDICT Version 2.1.0 For Linux Released

[Tony Langdon <tlangdon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

How easy would this be to interface to some form of email request server?
For example, if I was to send an email to (say) predict@mysite.org, with the
name of a satellite or two in the text, I would want to receive an email
with the passes for the next week (or other suitable time frame) for the
satellite(s).  Would also need a mechanism to specify the lat/long of the
observer as well...

Tony Langdon.
Systems Development and Support.
ATC Training Australasia.  Level 2 321 Exhibition St Melbourne  3000.
Phone:  1300 13 1983     WWW:  http://www.atctraining.com.au


> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Magliacane [mailto:magliaco@email.njin.net]
> Sent: Sunday, 2 April 2000 9:38
> To: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org; sarex@AMSAT.Org
> Subject: [amsat-bb] PREDICT Version 2.1.0 For Linux Released
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The latest version of PREDICT for the Linux operating system has been
> released.  The major features of version 2.1.0 include:
> 
> * Fully year 2000 compliant.
> 
> * Designed under the Linux operating system to permit operation on a
>   wide and expanding variety of hardware platforms ranging 
> from palmtops
>   to supercomputers (including 32-bit PCs (80386s or better) 
> and Macintosh
>   PowerPCs).
> 
> * Open source licensing allows anyone to contribute new features to
>   the program while forever keeping the software, and any derivative
>   works, non-proprietary and freely available.
> 
> * A *FAST* orbital prediction mode that predicts in advance passes of
>   satellites, providing dates, times, coordinates, slant 
> range distances,
>   and sunlight and optical visibility information.  Predictions are
>   displayed in tabular form and may be saved to a log file for later
>   reference, printing, or parsing by other programs.
> 
> * An optical visual orbital prediction mode that displays satellite
>   passes that may be optically visible to the groundstation.
> 
> * A solar illumination prediction mode that calculates how much time
>   a satellite will spend in sunlight per day.
> 
> * A real-time tracking mode that provides dynamic information such as
>   sub-satellite point, groundstation azimuth and elevation headings,
>   Doppler shift, path loss, slant range, orbital altitude, 
> orbital velocity,
>   footprint diameter, orbital phase, the time and date of the next AOS
>   (or LOS of the current pass), orbit number, and sunlight 
> and visibility
>   information for a single satellite, while providing live azimuth and
>   elevation headings for both the sun and moon.
> 
> * A multi-tracking mode that provides sub-satellite point, azimuth and
>   elevation headings, sunlight and visibility, and slant 
> range distance
>   information for all 24 satellites in the program's current database
>   on a real-time basis.  Azimuth and elevation headings for 
> the sun and
>   moon are also provided, as a well as a listing of the AOS dates and
>   times for the next three satellites expected to come into range of
>   the groundstation.
> 
> * Provides static information such as semimajor axis of ellipse,
>   apogee and perigee altitudes, and anomalistic and nodal periods
>   of satellite orbits.
> 
> * Command line options permit alternate groundstation locations to be
>   specified or alternate orbital databases to be read and processed by
>   the program, effectively allowing an UNLIMITED number of satellites
>   to be tracked and managed.  Additional options allow any orbital
>   database file to be automatically updated using NASA 
> Two-Line element
>   data obtained via the Internet or via pacsat satellite 
> without having
>   to enter the program and manually select menu options to update the
>   database.
> 
> * A voice mode allows live azimuth and elevation headings of 
> a satellite
>   to be articulated to an observer to assist in locating a 
> satellite by
>   optical means.
> 
> * PREDICT can now act as a socket-based server and be used to supply
>   real-time tracking data, such as azimuth and elevation headings,
>   footprint diameters, sub-satellite point latitude and longitude
>   headings, normalized Doppler shift data, and next predicted 
> AOS times
>   to external programs such as rotator control software, graphical map
>   tracking software, or radio frequency control programs 
> residing either
>   on the host machine, or on any networked client using the UDP
>   communications protocol.
> 
> 
> Changes from the previous version include:
> 
> * A solar illumination feature was added to predict the percentage
>   of time a satellite spends in sunlight per day.
> 
> * Orbital predictions for satellites that appear to have decayed
>   since the last Keplerian orbital update are no longer attempted
>   by the program.
> 
> * Date and time used to start orbital predictions may now be
>   abbreviated to Day/Month/Year only (00:00:00 is assumed).
> 
> * System clock/calendar is now read to millisecond precision,
>   permitting more "lively" real-time tracking mode displays.
> 
> * "vocalizer" code was changed to use a slightly different (better)
>    approach towards initializing and sending data to the system
>    soundcard.
> 
> * Socket-based server code was contributed by Ivan Galysh, KD4HBO.
>   It allows PREDICT to export real-time tracking data for all 24
>   satellites to external client programs, such as automatic antenna
>   rotator controllers, graphical map display programs, or TX/RX
>   tuning controllers.  The server features are activated by invoking
>   PREDICT with a -s switch.  Communication between server and clients
>   is by way of the UDP protocol.  Real-time data is exported 
> by PREDICT
>   in both the single satellite and multi-satellite tracking modes.
> 
> * The command-line parsing code was modified to prevent segmentation
>   faults from occurring if command-line options are 
> incorrectly issued.
> 
> * Some minor coding changes were made.
> 
> 
> PREDICT is free software, and may be downloaded from:
> 
>      ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/Linux/predict-2.1.0.tar.gz
> 
> Further information on PREDICT software is available via the web at:
> 
>      http://www.linuxfan.com/~predict
> 
> (This page will be updated over the weekend.)
> 
> An article describing the development and use of PREDICT will 
> be available
> in the July (Science and Engineering) issue of "Linux 
> Journal" magazine.
> 
> Happy Tracking!
> 
> 
> 73, de John, KD2BD
> 
> --
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- John A. Magliacane, KD2BD 
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Internet  : kd2bd@amsat.org          |  Voice : +1.732.224.2948
> Satellite : AO-16, KO-25             |  Morse : -.-  -..  
> ..---  -...  -..
> Packet    : KD2BD @ N2TDU.NJ.USA.NA  |  WWW   : 
http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/
Video     : 426.250 MHz/439.250 MHz  |  FAX   : +1.732.224.2060
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Linux Doesn't Cost.  It Pays.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org

----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org