[amsat-bb] Re: something like TrakBox

[Ron Long <rlong3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The PrimeTec device looks very nice but it is not like TrakBox.
Maybe TrakBox has been gone too long for recent members to know what it was.
TrakBox uses a connection to a computer only for initial setup - keps etc. 
Then you disconnect from the PC and it runs independently. This means it 
has its own tracking program that outputs AZ and EL commands and Doppler 
correction commands. It has some front panel controls so that when it is no 
longer connected to the PC you can change the satellite to track  and some 
other parameters.
There was another device that worked similarly called SatTrak III and a 
later one SatTrak IV.

I would encourage anyone to design a modern version but would caution that 
the rotator control is the easy part. Doppler is much more of a problem 
since you will get requests to support all kinds of radio combinations for 
uplink and downlink.

73, ron
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