Thomas, How you seen http://www.heavenscape.com and it's associated yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/satellitetracker/ regards Ak > -----Original Message----- > From: Thomas Fly [mailto:thomasfly@j2ee-consultants.com] > Sent: 15 December 2004 20:03 > To: SeeSat-L > Subject: LEO satellite tracking with a Meade telescope > > > In prior (not very recent) attempts to track the ISS with my > Meade LXD55 scope, it failed miserably, "tracking" into the > ground, rather than the sky. > > I'd downloaded the Java serial I/O library, and had been playing > with issuing Autostar commands, using a simple demo > program that comes with that library, when I discovered an update > to the firmware (Autostar model #497 version 33Ef, > 12/6/04): > http://www.meade.com/support/auto.html > > In testing with TLEs for a couple recent ISS passes, the new > version appears basically to work (though I can't easily > determine how accurately); though in both cases, it stopped > tracking when it appeared that further tracking would cause > the OTA to smack into the tripod (there doesn't seem to be a way > to choose which of the 2 possible sections- separated > by a tripod collision- of a pass to track). > > That problem had occurred to me, in thinking about how to > implement my own tracking software. One way to give the > telescope free reign over the sky would be to effectively convert > the equatorial mount to an altitude-azimuth mount, by > mounting it to a post, with the RA axis vertical. However, > passes near the zenith would require a high rate of RA slew, > during which the satellite might be lost (at least temporarily). > > Alternatively, one could have a pseudo altitude-azimuth > arrangement, by making the RA axis horizontal, and (most simply) > parallel or perpendicular to the path of the satellite. > > Just using a post mount, rather than the tripod, would mitigate > the tripod collision problem, of course. > > I'd be interested in hearing about any existing solution to this > problem, as well as any successes people may have had > using Autostar. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L > archive: > http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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