> Since Space-Track went online my satellite observing has gone down to > nearly zero. I use the program Orbitron which can not read the some of > the Space-Track files > I'm not devoted enough to jump through the flaming hoops of getting > a SpaceTrack account and using programs to download the whole catalog For those who accept using a prediction program on their own computer, there is no additional hassle to get a Space-Track account and download files. You may need to download the free gzip and a program to add names to the elsets, and/or pay for the winzip program. That's all > I have to say, the whole thing with SpaceTrack has just about killed > what active interest I had in this hobby. The real killer is the extreme difficulty of getting permissions to share analysis done using Space-Track data. Helping less proficient amateurs ID their obs, suggesting objects to observe, analyzing flashing behaviours etc and sharing this makes the hobby joyful - how fun is it to do this just on your own? As noted in their own JournalWinter05Web.pdf document (link posted on SeeSat recently http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2005/0025.html) the real effect could be to concentrate most amateur activity to the secret satellites; their data is NOT restricted ! As for the size of my hobby, I observe every clear Friday and Saturday, in winter also some Thursday and Sunday evenings at our weekend cottage. Because of my latitude, May-July are almost impossible. In town, or with otherwise poor visibility, I only observe special events, like expected satellite maneouvre or decay. This might add up to about 50 days/year. I have only travelled few times to the weekend cottage during working weeks for special events - never elsewhere. Note that many non-members, visiting H-A, can be considered amateurs. Their statistics show how many users and visits they have. I have some five friends, who do not use either of them, but want me to tip them off about interesting flares and other passes. Over the years I must have downloaded over a hundred different satellite-related programs, plus several versions of the few I use regularly. /Björn -- COSPAR 5919, MALMA, 59.2576 N, 18.6172 E, 23 m -- -- COSPAR 5918, HAMMARBY, 59.2985 N, 18.1045 E, 44 m -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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