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Android Satellite Tracking Applications

Posted: 23 Jul 2018 08:39 AM PDT
https://www.2m0sql.com/2018/07/23/an...-applications/














Satellite tracking applications play an important part in using the
transponders available to radio amateurs, of course, experiences of them
all vary and are very subjective however we are going to explore what is
available on the Android platform.











AMSATDroid Free

Play Sto
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...pz.HamSatDroid

AMSATDroid Free has been the staple choice for most keen AMSAT operators,
created by David G4DPZ and provided free to the community it allows you to
see the next passes for individual satellites for a period of time when you
select a pass Â*it gives you a graphical display of the pass on a compass
style view or a map view which includes the track of where its going to be.

The application hasn’t received many updates but recently got made open
source and is available on Github https://github.com/g4dpz/AmsatDroidFree

















































Heavens-Above Pro

Play Sto
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ove.viewer_pro

Heavens-Above Pro has been my favourite satellite tracking app when on the
move, its amateur radio features allow you to search for an amateur
satellite youre after, it then gives you passes for the next couple of days
along with pass times and a rough guide for the uplink and downlink.

On selecting the pass of interest you get a compass view which updates in
real time showing where the satellite is, it also gives a detailed break
down of a pass from the start (AOS) to the end (LOS) including the time the
satellite is at its maximum elevation.

A useful function in Heavens-Above is that it allows you to create calendar
entries for the pass, thus helping you plan your trip. Within the settings,
you can also define some of the options like the minimum elevation so if
you can’t work below 10 degrees elevation you can set that.































































ISS Detector

Play Sto
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ar.issdetector

ISS Detector has become the most popular application for satellite tracking
in recent months with its huge range of features it offers, although you
have to buy the Amateur Radio Extensions which cost around £1.09 via an
in-app purchase its well worth it.

Once you have purchased the addon you can create a filter to include the
active ham radio satellites that you are interested in and set a minimum
elevation plus whether you want ISS Detector to popup a notification when
the pass is due within 5 minutes which is useful.

Returning to the main screen you a full list of next passes based on your
filters these are in chronological order. When you select the pass you get
a wealth of information displayed in the RADAR tab you get a compass view
of the pass you help you with antenna pointing, selecting the details tab
gives you a finer display of the pass times and its elevations along with a
live Google Map of the satellites current position.

The interesting part of this tab is when you scroll down it gives you
doppler information, for a linear satellite you get doppler corrections for
the top and bottom edges of the transponder, on FM passes you get the
uplink and downlink, this can be a useful guide on where you should be
listening and transmitting.

Within the satellite view, you also have the option to create a calendar
entry if youre planning a day trip or even share the pass with friends.

As with any application, theres a huge selection of settings options to go
through and adjust to your liking but once you have it set up it’s
straightforward to use.



























































































Wrapping Up

Hopefully, this gave an insight into some of the options available, I’ve
not been paid to recommend any of them and paid apps were bought with my
own money, I will say that ISS Detector is my main go-to application for
planning passes whether at home or even portable the notifications,
calendar and filters just make it simple.









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