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Gpredict is an application for real-time orbit prediction and satellite tracking. This application can track numerous number of satellites and show their position and related data in tables, lists, maps and if course polar plots.
The app can also be able to make predictions of a satellite’s time for future passes and offers you all the information about all passes.
Gpredict has been seen as being a unique satellite tracking program because it enables you to assemble the satellites in terms of visualizations modules, and you can configure each one of them (the modules) independently from the others, thus offering you unlimited flexibility with regards to the look and feel of the modules. Naturally, Gpredict also allows you to track satellites comparatively to various observer locations all at the same time.
The installation and usage
Start the terminal window and type the following command:
Your Raspberry device will then download and install the software for you and take you back to the command prompt when it completes.
To start up the software, just type the following from your terminal window:
With that, the software now starts up; you have to perform a bit of configuration to let the program to know your current location (Copenhagen- is the default).
Click edit or preferences and choose the ground stations tab. Then press add new and proceed to add your location details, altitude, longitude and latitude. Once you save that, you can now delete the sample location of Copenhagen and turn your own into the default.
While still in preferences, you can choose your screen layout. If you have a large monitor, then the optimum is table, Map, Polar and a wide single sat (you however have the freedom to play around and see the one that suits you best). You may have to restart the program for the changes to take effect.
About now, it might be a good idea to check that you’ve got the latest satellite data, which the program can download for you. Select Edit/Update TLE from network and then give it a moment for the update to finish.
Lastly, you will want to configure the satellites that you are tracking. The software will default to the amateur radio module. Just click on the options or shortcuts on the module –at the top right area of the main window, right beneath the main windows control: close, maximize and minimize. Just click on that and then configure.
Once you do all that, you can now select the satellites you want to track. While Fancube-1 or even AO-73 is not being displayed under those names, you can search for it and include it- it is believed to be 2013-066B though. I personally included other satellites like ISS, VO-52, FO-29 and SO-50. Your choice may be different.
At this point, you should be able to see the location of all your satellites as plotted on the screen.
If you want more details about a specific satellite, simply highlight it in the list at the bottom and right click to choose ‘future passes’ or ‘show next pass.’
I can say that G-predict does work well on the Pi. Even though it doesn’t appear to max the processor out really well, at least it is quick to start up and shut down- if you want to engage yourself with something else.
Twclock- world clock
As a ham operator, the clock program will prove to be very helpful. Apart from displaying GMT and local time, it is able to display the current time of all the major cities around the globe. It also has an alarm to inform you when the time for a station ID arrives.
As you will realize, you can set the ID alarm to a preferred delay of seconds and minutes. The alarm will inform you that it’s time to ID or all of the ways below:
You could feed the CW audio to your rig to allow transmission of the ID is automatically. The CW is produced using code from qrq.
You will also find an auto reset choice. This choice starts the next time out automatically without any action from you, the user.
So, you need to connect your soundcard’s output to the ‘audio-in’ pin of your rig’s accessory jack so that it is transmitted.
Essentially, this program is essentially a clock that is tailored for the ham radio operators, those who want to know the time in some other place in the world, or just about anyone who has had enough of the same look of the ordinary clock. The program shows the current date and time in different cities around the world at the same time.
The installation
The installation process is simple, and it uses the CLI (command line interface).
Begin by updating the repository index on your Raspberry Pi by using:
Now search for the Raspberry Pi repository index for the twclock programs via:
Next, install the program:
When that is done, start twclock. In the graphic user interface of your computer, open the top left application menu and choose accessories, twclock. You can open two programs of twclock at the same time- one of them set to local time and the other one to GMT time.
Uninstalling it is also simple:
So far, you have pretty much enough programs to get you started with amateur radio activities. However, since you have to be really good at this, I will add a couple more, under the next chapter in which we will look at full Ham projects.
