[aprssig] Satellite Predictions requires a) Beacon and b) Messaging IGate

[Steve Noskowicz]

I haven't been able to read all the remarks (Mac Hard Drive crash & Recovery under way - 95% back now) but...

As a potentially ignorant future user of this service:


6:45m and 6.75m are both are kinda' stuck to a wicket. (;-).

IS 6:45m  6 hours and 45 minutes?  Could be confusing if unknown up front.
Then 6.45m while "consistent" has to be mentally translated.  Yes, this is not a disaster, but unconventional in the normal timekeeping paradigm.

Then I wondered if 6m45 would be better...seems to be.  
It seems to be saying "6 minutes, 45 [seconds implied] ".  That seems to have some basis for being easily deciphered.


I understand the bit about there being so many sats that asking for an estimate of the next few to AOS in my location sounds like a larger programming issue since they all have to be calculated rather then just the one I requested.

Finally, I have to ask that the goal of this service needs to be chewed on if not done in the posts I haven't read.

@ first, I was thinking this is useful only for Digi sats.  This for someone in a remote location trying to get email out (EMAIL or WinLink).
Then I thought, well, an FM sat would also be a good way to "get out", FM sats and those with either mobile or HT capability.

Any way, things like this need to be defined ... the requirements.  (spoken like a true retired Engineering Manager. (;-).

If it is for a seldom (and therefore ignorant of all the detail) user, things must be "obvious", or "intuitive" - whatever that means.

Also, the "useable part" of the pass is going to be a large variable, so quantifying it for a given user very difficult.

If economy of characters is important, then I think MaxEL could be shortened to simply EL, no?  I have done VERY little sat work, but still know the max EL is important, so if it just says EL, I *get* it.


73, Steve, K9DCI


--- Bob Bruninga wrote:
>... I'm still a little uncomfortable with the time formats:
> 
> AOS in 6:45h for 9:50m MaxEL 27
> ...  So that is kinda unusual to see...
> 
> 2) No mobile is ever going to see a 9:50 minute pass. 

>... I'd really like to see that rounded to "9m"
> 
> Although I do not feel comfortable with 6:45h I am less
> comfortable with
> "6.75h" but is more consistent.  If you want to mix
> minutes and seconds you
> could use 6h 45m.  Though I don't like that
> either.  As you know, I like
> indicating it as a specific TIME if it is more than an hour
> away or in delta
> minutes of it is less than an hour.
> 
> 
> > AOS in 37m for 9m MaxEL 27 (or)
> > AOS at 1425z for 9m MaxEL 27 (or)
> 
> Actually, I would make the separation be at 99
> minutes.   This is because
> all LEO satellites have periods on the order of 90 to 100
> minutes, so if it
> is less than 100 minutes away, then it is the next
> pass.  If it is more than
> 99 m inutes away, then it is quite a while.
>