AMSAT SA SPACE SYMPOSIUM 2019 SatNOGS: Satellite Networked Open Ground Station Tom Van den Bon (ZR6TG) AMSAT SA SPACE SYMPOSIUM 2019
What is this ? A Crowdsourced Satellite Ground Station Network Provides universities and smaller groups access to Ground Stations across the world Track and decode thousands of small satellites in orbit Simple hardware/software - minimal investment Utilizes the amount of time a civilian/non commercial station would sit idle Promotes and supports free and open space applications
What is this ? SatNOGS DB Crowd-sourced Database for Satellites and their transponders SatNOGS Network Observations and Scheduling SatNOGS Client Embedded system that receives scheduled operations, records observation and sends it back SatNOGS Ground Station Actual ground station instrumentation with tracker, antennas, etc
How ?
Satellite Database
How ?
Ground Station Setup
Getting Started (Easy) Raspberry PI + Accessories SDR Dongle Turnstile Antenna Flash SD Card with pre made SatNOGS image Create Account (API Key, Location) Configure SatNOGS Software Schedule First Observation (NOAA weather Satellite)
Improving your Ground Station Add a rotator and directional antennas Either Commercial Rotator, or 3d printed Rotator
DIY Rotator 3d Printed Rotator
Observations Pass Predictions Schedule Observation (Either your own, or any other station) Wait for Satellite Pass System Records Pass System Decodes Pass Pass gets vetted (by station owner, or observer)
Conclusion https://www.satnogs.org/ Build your own Satellite Ground Station! Great addition to your shack Fun and Easy to Set Up (Easy or Complex) Open Network of Ground Stations accessible to all