SATPC32 by Electronic Download

Description

Note: License keys are issued manually by AMSAT volunteers. While keys are normally issued the same day, please allow up to 48 hours to receive your key. Please include your callsign in the comments section when you check out.

SatPC32 is written and supported by Erich Eichmann, DK1TB. He has kindly donated all the proceeds from the software to AMSAT to support amateur satellites.

Software is not provided electronically directly through the AMSAT store at this time. We are working on providing automatic downloads.  Please download the software from Erich’s website:

www.dk1tb.de/indexeng.htm

The download is publicly available, and may be done at any time. Updates and patches are freely available as they are developed.  You may install the downloaded software without having a registration number.  Most features will be fully available in the demo version.

When you purchase SatPC32 by Electronic Download, AMSAT will send you a license key to use to unlock all the features of the software.  Normally this will be sent within one or two business days, but there may rarely be longer delays due to holidays or other AMSAT activities.

The programs SatPC32.Exe (in the following: SatPC) and Wisat32.Exe (in the following: Wisat) calculate the tracks of earth orbiting satellites. The calculations are based on the SGP4/SDP4 model, the results therefore are highly accurate. Both programs are included in the SatPC32 program package.

SatPC32ISS.Exe (in the following SatPCISS) is a special version of SatPC32 for radio amateur operation via the ISS. The program provides “In-Band” frequency control with several radios. While “normal” amateur satellites use different bands for uplink and downlink both frequencies of the ISS are in the 2m band. The “normal” SatPC32 switches the radios into satellite mode to allow full duplex operation (transmitting and receiving at the same time). Therefore uplink and downlink must be in different bands.

SatPC32ISS is also included in the SatPC32 program package.

SatPC32 displays the audibility-areas of one or several selected satellites within a world-map and shows the results in text-lines below the map. Wisat represents the satellite positions in real-time in list-form. Both programs update their calculations continuously in steps of one second. The differences between SatPC and Wisat result from the absence of the graphic output in Wisat.

SatPC32 and Wisat32 steer the antennas and radio frequencies (CAT) for Doppler correction. Both programs allow multitasking with programs that provide data transfer with satellites like Wisp32. SatPC32 and Wisat32 then will take over the antenna- and frequency-control. The automatic switching on a satellite works synchronized with the data-program.

The automatic Doppler correction also works with SSB transponders

The antenna-control steers the AMSAT Rotor Interface and the ready-appliance IF-100.

Further, the following interfaces and controllers are supported:
RIF-PC ( Orbitronic),
WinRotor32 (Funkbox , Parallel port and USB version),
ARS (EA4TX ),
HalloRotor ( DB3DH),
Fodtrack-Interface (XQ2FOD),
Kansas City Tracker /Tuner (KCT/T),
Yaesu GS-232 and compatible interfaces (G6LVB-Tracker, AlfaSpid,
DL7AOT, CX6DD, ST3 (FoxDelta), SatDrive),
SAEBRTrackBox (N8MH),
Satellite Tracker Mini, Junior, Senior (W0LMD),
SatEL interface (Satellite Electronics),
Egis-Rotoren,
Labjack U12 (USB Controller / PiggyBack (NLSA),
Labjack U3 (USB Controller, see page ‘Downloads’),
LVB Tracker,
AlfaSpid controller,
ST1 controller (VU2FD),
Pro.Sis.Tel.controller (see page ‘Downloads’),
M2 RC-2800 Rotoren

Driver programs for these devices are included (or are delivered with the hardware), which take the data for rotor- and CAT control via DDE from the main-programs SatPC32 and Wisat32. At the end of this section you will find as an exemple a screen copy of the driver-program for the KCT (ServerKCT.Exe).

The frequency- and mode-control works with the following radios:

Yaesu transceivers FT-736R, FT-847, FT-817, FT-857 and FT-897,

Kenwood transceivers TS-790E/A and TS-2000,

ICOM transceivers IC-820, IC-821, IC-910H, IC-9100, IC-9700

ICOM receivers and transmitters, that work with the same cat protocol (i.e. IC-275, IC-475).

The programs will work also with serveral other models, this has to be tested, however.

In VFO mode the radios supported by SatPC32 (except the Yaesu FT-736R, s. below) can be tuned with the VFO as well as via the PC mouse and keyboard in selectable frequency-steps of 20, 100, 500 Hz, 1 KHz and 5 KHz. Tuning with the VFO is the most comfortable way, tuning via the PC, however, allows fast and precise QSY, which can be helpful, when QRM is coming up on the frequency.

The Yaesu FT-736R can be tuned only via the PC as described above. Since its VFO frequency can not be read, it can not be tuned with the VFO knob.

To steer the aformentioned rotor systems the program package includes several little “driver” programs. These programs are automatically started and closed by the main program. They receive the rotor data calculated by the main program via DDE, convert it into the format of the particular interface or controller and output it to the PC’s ports.

The output of the CAT control is sent directly to a (physical or “virtual”) serial port (it can also be sent to the KCT Tuner thus the radio can be steered via the serial ports of the KCT/Tuner).

Further, the program provides a constantly active DDE interface, which allows third-party-programs to receive the antenna positions, frequencies and modes calculated by SatPC32. This interface -in example- can be used by CX6DD’s WispDDE. Thus all hardware supported by WispDDE can be controlled also by SatPC32.

A particular interface allows cooperation with Uni_Trac 3000. Therefore all hardware supported by that program can be steered with SatPC32, too ( beyond the devices supported by SatPC32 itself).

The programs run on IBM-compatible PCs under WINDOWS 98, ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 10. As far as I know SatPC32, Wisat32 and DDESat32 ( see below) are the only 32-bit-programs at present time, that provide rotor-control with the IF-100 and RifPC and a rotor- and frequency-control with the Kansas-City-Tracker/Tuner on WinNT 4.0 and Windows 2000.

The programs support the 120 dpi fonts (available at screen solutions of 800 * 600 or higher), but not user-defined fonts or the new 144 dpi fonts invented by Windows 7. For solutions of 800 * 600 and higher additional bit maps are included. With these maps SatPC fills the screen at 1024 * 768 for about 90%.

The programs can show times in UTC or alternatively in the observer’s local time.

AMSAT Member Price $45.

Non-AMSAT Member Price $50.

 

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