Looks great!

That is very cool !!

Now that's going to pick up the ISS voice comms!

That is truly beautiful, awesome work.

There is so much awesomeness here! Thanks for sharing your design and all the ideas you incorporated. I'm starting to get interested in satellite operation (portable) and this really has motivated me to move past a handheld antenna.

@ro30tjman

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

That's got to me the coolest amateur radio project I have ever seen.

@ro30tjman

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks

Impressive! Thanks for sharing this.

Really cool setup! Nice work.

Very nice! Have been looking over different portable options. The rotation axis is great!

Really, really nice setup! So much so that I am very jealous!😇

Great stuff. Thanks for the time you took to make the video.

Inspiring! I'm going to bookmark this and hopefully tackle this soon.

Simple elegance! Nicely done - clever design!

This is brilliant! Got me motivated.

Very nice set-up, sir. I'm jealous.

Never seen a compass with elevation.... Cool thanks...

Great post! Inspired me to repurpose one of my Sky Commander units!! Thanks!

I has Nexstar telescope from this mount, but i hasn't mount)) Awesome,73

Very good! Thanks for sharing

Thank you. Exploring the possibility of satellite with limited funds for now. Basically I'd like to try it before I invest a lot in fancy equipment to rotate antennas. Also limited in my backyard with trees so I'm thinking about setting up a little tripod with a simple small boom and tracking satellites to make sure I can get around those trees. Yes I know. I'm cheap. This was really good. Thank you for sharing! 73 de WA5ZVE

Awesome looking workmanship! I've been thinking about getting into the satellites. 73, K8KSB.

Great video! Just came across it. Also did not realize my SkySafari pro had the satellite info, so thanks for that tidbit along with the mounting idea

Very cool, excellent work!

Excellent home brew, hope to catch you on the air. Fantastic buy on the compass, too. 73s de KM4TIN

You have inspired me sir ....Brilliant ... !!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet. Thank you!! 73 w3rrm

I was wondering if you have a BOM for the parts? I already have this mount for my scope.

@ro30tjman

Жыл бұрын

Sorry no I don't.

Great setup!

totally cool setup!

Bravo Sir..!! Thanks for the info..!!

Nice setup

Awesome setup! I need to make one! If you wanted even more hands off tracking you could use the mount from a meade etx series telescope. Those go-to's can track sats pretty smooth. Its accuracy is good enough for telescope viewing so probably excellent for pointing a yagi.

Fantastic! Love that rotator design. Thanks for sharing it. I just built up a system using a similar Meade mount, but no rotator. I might build your design later. With my Meade mount, it was super easy to get satellite tracking working using Gpredict and hamlib. 73!

@hobie1dog

2 жыл бұрын

which model Meade did you use?

@rkinnett

2 жыл бұрын

@@hobie1dog I used the mount from a StarNavigatorNG 125mm Mak combo from amazon. These used to be much cheaper before everyone took up astronomy during the pandemic. Got mine for $300. Anyways, this should work with any similar Meade mount, like DS-2000. I helped the hamlib devs fix some bugs for Meade mounts. Contact me if you need any help with it.

How do you do an alignment so you can use the goto

@ro30tjman

7 жыл бұрын

With the telescope controller on skysafari 3 app for iphone

Gday from vk2 love the information mate, keep up the good work. 73z Richard VK2UAL

That is something we all could use! Dan, KW4MA

@ro30tjman

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words

YEAAHHH!!!! Great stuff man. I can't wait to make contact with you. Good to see this done. Man this is exciting... been talking about doing something like this... and I don't even have my callsign yet. LOL I'M SO EFFING EXCITED!! HA! he's a bruvva... sweet. ;)

Hello, you have a cool project, I would like to repeat it, can you help tell me in more detail how and for what and share the code?)

Very good! Just getting into satellite tracking/comms. Am using a photography tripod and my home-built Arrow-wannabe antenna. You mentioned you were intersted in a method to make/program the Celestron to track the satellite's path without having to tell it to seek it oiut by pushing the button to "find" it during its transit. My idea would be to use the ubiquitous NE555 timer chip with relay which contacts are wired in parallel to the "button" on the controller. Adjust its pulse (push) to a proper interval, say, 20 times ( because of the "acceptance" angle of the antenna) per transit (horizon to horizon). Capiche? Let me know...... And as for the compass.... right on, it's cheap, works well, and, I didn't order mine with the slope flap as I wasn't interested in tracking sats then! Now I wish I had. Beats taking my Brunton Transit into the woods! My only complaint about that compass is - you can't lock the bezel! But it's very easy to sight azimuths/bearings. Cheers!

Do you get much noise from the motors?

@ro30tjman

2 жыл бұрын

None at all.

On the celestron website they mention two software for using ascom drivers to track satellites - heavenscape is one of them. You can get a used mount like that for < $100 and that sure beats other solutions i've seen.

Did you ever find a way to incorporate tracking w/ your Celestron mount and Ham Radio Deluxe? I have a similar mount & looking to do the same with Ham Radio Deluxe.

@ro30tjman

7 жыл бұрын

No I did not. But look around I bet someone has done it. If I get any info I will post it.

Neat use of resources and work on the rotary servo mechanism. Wondering if a WiFi ESP32, Particle or other maybe even cheaper ESP8266 would work to make the servo controller wireless controlled. Guessing the Particle Photon would be the easiest to make with a cell phone. I've been wanting to track satellites with RF and Optical tracking too. Searching for cheap 4K cameras, narrower field of view lenses for and looking at the one I have removal of the IR hot lens for a broader spectrum perspective with maybe like a rotary filter if needing to switch if wanting... plus foremost making a simple webcam upgraded to 4K camera spectrum analyzer. I came across this though looking at antenna design inspiration using aluminum arrows since I recently built a yagi and went through design iterations to determine what's the cheapest like wood dowel and aluminum duct tape settling with. Aluminum arrows though thinking on sale or used will be a great alternative too. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome setup. Can you share the pan/tilt servo motor/housing part descriptions Thank you

@ro30tjman

2 жыл бұрын

Most info is in the video, what would like more detail on?

Great system, admirable build, not sure if I have the skills but I'm going to give this a go. Whys is it necessary to rotate the antennae, I'm new to all this ? Thanks for sharing.

@Dreamlgider

8 жыл бұрын

+Gary McKinnon Hey. yes it's pretty great indeed :) As for the rotation of the elements that's for polarization matching, attenuation is about 3db@45° and can be in the order of 20db or more @90° (that's what i read) so proper polarisation is very nice. that being said it is not required in order to successfully make satellite qso's, my sat station is at the moment only two monoband verticals for 2m and 70cm and the yaesu ft-847 and it works, tho not as well as KD0UHS's setup. 73 de OY1R

@GaryMcKinnonUFO

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info, i'll post when i've put something together.

looks like fun

Very nice satellite tracker, I really like the rotation. 73 N9SIR

Just saw your video for the first time today 2-2023. Great idea and workmanship. have a couple questions: Is that PVC that houses the bearings? What is the plate that you used for the frame that holds the tube with the bearings?

@ro30tjman

Жыл бұрын

Hi The plate is aluminum angle that i cut and the bearing tube is something I had laying around. I think something was ship to me using that tube. You can use PVC and find a bearing that will fit.

Very nice set up friend. For some time now I've been planing (in my head) to put together a tracking system of my own, it so happens my plans almost exactly mirrors the setup you have, right down to the antenna, minus the awesome servo you created for rotating the arrow. But something I've always wondered was, how do you triangulate your Celestron prior to tracking the satellite? Normally you would dial into known positions (i.e. stars, planets, moon, etc) but since you are tracking during the day time hours those know positions are not available. A heads up on that would be a great help. Thank you sir.

@ro30tjman

6 жыл бұрын

hi William, Thanks for the kind words. I would use the sun. The Celeston tracking info will tell you how to do it. You can also get info off phone app. I have not used it lately so I am not up to date on the new apps.

@ro30tjman

5 жыл бұрын

Sorry the reply took so long. I use the sun. Take a 6" x 1/2" PVC pipe and point one end at the sun and the ground and adjust so the sun can be seen on the ground threw the pipe. put the antenna at the same Horizontal and Vertical position. This way you never have to look directly at the sun.

Perfect and just in time to get active again. Hope to catch you on Fox-1 soon! 73...k0axx, em20

Very nice setup! How do you make sure that the bottom half of the antenna doesn't hit the base? Do you have to avoid satellite passes above a certain elevation? Or is there a way to input elevation restrictions?

@ro30tjman

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, You can set travel limits in the tracker. The design of the tracker will allow full over head travel. It Is a old telescope tracking unit.

Great video! I've been looking at doing pretty much the exact same thing using a Meade mount. You also added the rotation on the antenna which is pretty slick as well! Which nexstar mount is this specifically from?

@ro30tjman

9 жыл бұрын

Mitch Martin Hi Mitch Thanks for the good words. It is the Celestron NexStar SE. Got it off Ebay. This is the seller that I got mine from. money$hark

What's the name of the rotor? I'm trying to do so.thibf like this with a rasberry pi.

@ro30tjman

5 жыл бұрын

It is a old style Celestron mount

Not sure if this will get answered or not, but could it track ISS ?

@ro30tjman

5 жыл бұрын

Hi, yes it will.

How do you make the polarity rotation mount? Is that PVC?

@ro30tjman

5 жыл бұрын

That came from packing in a box. you can use PVC. Get a 2" X 1' piece and 2 caps. Drill a hole in the caps so that the copper pipe will fit but able to rotate.

@dennisschultz1175

5 жыл бұрын

@@ro30tjman Are you using bearings? I bought 1/2" copper and can't get it to fit in the handle.

@ro30tjman

5 жыл бұрын

I am using bearings that I had. But they are not necessary. The copper was a perfect fit for mine. Make sure their are no burrs on the ends. You might try squaring the end of the copper just enough to give it good fit

Why the need to turn the antenna 180 degrees, surely 90 is sufficient to affect polarisation?? Cool idea though, I might have a go with my Meade telescope.

Thanks for the video. Where did you source the celestron tripod?

@ro30tjman

6 жыл бұрын

Hi,I made the tripod. I found the celestron telescope unit on ebay

@jwreagan

6 жыл бұрын

Mind if I ask what the telescope unit cost? I have wanted to play with satellite work since the mid 90s when I went to a hams house who was into satellite and ATV work. He had a stack of circular and h/v polarized yagis on a yeasu AzEl rotor. I was so completely impressed with his setup. I now have seen what that setup must have cost him.... eesh. He was the first person I knew with a "tv studio" in his house, also taught me about chromakey (greenscreens, he had one to put a test pattern or graphics on his background)

@ro30tjman

6 жыл бұрын

I got it some years ago, I think it was around $50. it is a old model. look around on ebay and you should be able to find one at a low cost.

You are a highly skilled mad genius, congratulations sir... I would like to build something like this. do you have a blog with more docs and materials list etc?

@ro30tjman

7 жыл бұрын

Hi pcomp Thanks for the good words. Sorry don't have a blog. I will happy to answer any questions that you might have.

@AniDeGrootForReal

7 жыл бұрын

ro30tjman I'd like to build out a version of this, too. A materials list would be amazing, if you have the time to put one together! This would be my first project of this magnitude, so input from the skilled would be greatly appreciated!

@ro30tjman

7 жыл бұрын

Hi Ani, What info do you need. I made it some time ago, But I will be happy to answer any qustions

whats the cost of that setup?

What do you use for a radio? This is an awesome idea by the way. Seems like a great way to go for a mobile tracker. The part I’m wondering now is what to do about the doplar shift. So far the best ideas I hear for a handheld are just programming a bunch of shifted options in and switching as the satellite passes. That or going with a software defined system for the receiving side, maybe with a small laptop. Thanks again!

@ro30tjman

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks , I use a yaesu FT 60 with it in the field. I have not used it lately. As far as Doppler shift I just listen for the loads signal as i rotate the antenna, and adjust the frequency manually as needed. it keep you busy but it works.

wooow! cool!

Awesome,73

Very good video. What brand is the compass featured later in the video?

@ro30tjman

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, The Compass is a Eyeskey.

hi, nice setup, what's the make on that compass. ?

@ro30tjman

9 жыл бұрын

mgstu Hi mgstuThanks, The compass is a Eyeskey got it off ebay. Great for sat.

Beautiful although I can't imagine that adding all the copper to the antenna boom to mount to the apparatus is not interfering with the dynamics of the perfectly designed arrow antenna. Maby try an insulator between . PVC coupler would probably work well.

@KeepEvery1Guessing

3 жыл бұрын

It shouldn't be a problem. Not only is it's principle conductive access perpendicular to the E-fields, but it is behind the reflector. But copper is pretty expensive these days. I'd be using something cheaper.

Maybe up grade to an equatorial drive for easy tracking. Or use a computer with software to track the satellite ! Thank you for some great ideas ! Eyes UP and lights down, tjl Sent by Win7Pro64 w/ADSL

300 like mine

expensive!