Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#1

Post by zenbryo » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 7:07 PM UTC

Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna
danaco.se

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#2

Post by golem14 » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 8:33 PM UTC

Neat! It would be good to know how this is different from Satnogs, e.g., max weight/momentum of antenna, what APIs etc.

Satnogs looks great and is probably more sturdy, but I can't just buy one (no kits afaik), and it is probably more complex to build one.

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#3

Post by fotbr » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 8:37 PM UTC

Wish it had more details: Rate(s) of rotation, load capacities -- including windloading, etc.

Also rather wish it didn't rely on wifi/android, but that's mostly because I don't use anything android based, and don't run any wifi on the home network anymore.

All in all though, it's still a pretty nice looking little az-el rotator. With different control software, it might also be a useful little addition to give your static security camera a bit of extra capability without breaking the bank.

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#4

Post by benbojangles » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 8:55 PM UTC

https://github.com/RedBalloonShenanigans/antenny

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#5

Post by penagwin » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 8:56 PM UTC

Hmm this appears to be an alt-az mount. If they made a future version as an equitorial mount it would be even better for radioastronamy, and if it's strong enough astrophotography too. They're a lot more complicated though so it's understandable why they didn't go that route.

Especially if this is meant more for geostationary satellites and I'm guessing most satellites like NOAA aren't too bothered by the slightly rougher tracking. Plus I guess the passes are fairly short anyway...

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#6

Post by zenbryo » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 9:26 PM UTC

fotbr wrote: post #3

Wish it had more details: Rate(s) of rotation, load capacities -- including windloading, etc. Also rather wish it didn't rely on wifi/android, but that's mostly because I don't use anything android based, and don't run any wifi on the home network anymore. All in all though, it's still a pretty nice looking little az-el rotator. With different control software, it might also be a useful little addition to give your s…

Thanks for the feedback! It's still under development so more specs will be released later on.

"Unfortunately" the entire design is based around ESP8266 to make it cheap and easy for people to modify so wifi is the current option but if there's interest for other alternatives, anything is possible.

Since the rotator uses simple HTTP GET queries for the azimuth and elevation, it should be possible to make it compatible with other ethernet enabled positioning software.

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#7

Post by zenbryo » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 9:31 PM UTC

penagwin wrote: post #5

Hmm this appears to be an alt-az mount. If they made a future version as an equitorial mount it would be even better for radioastronamy, and if it's strong enough astrophotography too. They're a lot more complicated though so it's understandable why they didn't go that route. Especially if this is meant more for geostationary satellites and I'm guessing most satellites like NOAA aren't too bothered by the slightly ro…

Correct its and "Az-El rotator" intended for amateur radio and was not designed with any other purposes in mind, but this is just the first release. Main objectives were price and simplicity. But I hope to get a good enough response to release other versions in the future, especially a much tougher all-metal weatherproof version.

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#8

Post by buescher » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 9:33 PM UTC

penagwin wrote: post #5

Hmm this appears to be an alt-az mount. If they made a future version as an equitorial mount it would be even better for radioastronamy, and if it's strong enough astrophotography too. They're a lot more complicated though so it's understandable why they didn't go that route. Especially if this is meant more for geostationary satellites and I'm guessing most satellites like NOAA aren't too bothered by the slightly ro…

Just add an equatorial wedge. Search terms: "DIY equatorial wedge"

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#9

Post by zenbryo » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 9:37 PM UTC

golem14 wrote: post #2

Neat! It would be good to know how this is different from Satnogs, e.g., max weight/momentum of antenna, what APIs etc. Satnogs looks great and is probably more sturdy, but I can't just buy one (no kits afaik), and it is probably more complex to build one.

Specs will be released later on since its still in prototyping phase. Satnogs looks sturdy and has a similar control board but seems more complicated. My goal is to offer complete kits for 200USD (shipping and customs not included) but if you can 3D-print the plastic parts yourself you'll more or less cut the price in half.

Re: Satran Satellite Tracking Antenna

#10

Post by zenbryo » Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 9:45 PM UTC

buescher wrote: post #8

penagwin wrote: post #5

Hmm this appears to be an alt-az mount. If they made a future version as an equitorial mount it would be even better for radioastronamy, and if it's strong enough astrophotography too. They're a lot more complicated though so it's understandable why they didn't go that route. Especially if this is meant more for geostationary satellites and I'm guessing most satellites like NOAA aren't too bothered by the slightly ro…

Just add an equatorial wedge. Search terms: "DIY equatorial wedge"

Thx for the tip! Lots of different upgrades should be available later on and also I hope to build a community of open source designs and addons