Over on the saveitforparts YouTube channel, Gabe has uploaded a new video showing how he’s hacking an old motorized Wineguard RV satellite dish for tracking low earth orbit satellites, such as the NOAA and Meteor weather satellites as well as the US Military’s DMSP system.
The motorized RV satellite dish was originally intended for tracking TV satellites, but by connecting to the serial port on the control unit, Gabe is able to control the satellite dish through his own code.
In this video I’m creating a motorized satellite tracker for S-Band signals. S-Band includes NOAA weather satellites and the US Military’s DMSP system (it’s also the radio band for WiFi, which I might look at later).
I’m using a Winegard brand “Trav’ler” antenna designed for use on campers and recreational vehicles. It has a built-in three-axis motor system for pointing at TV satellites, but I wanted to use it for tracking satellites closer to earth. Since a low-orbit satellite like NOAA 18 or DMSP passes overhead in about 10 minutes, I need to move the dish faster and more precisely then it was intended for.
This project is still ongoing, and I don’t yet have the code up on Github. When I do, it will be available at https://github.com/saveitforparts/ alongside the code for some similar antennas I’ve hacked in the past.
The serial cable I’m using is described here: https://saveitforparts.wordpress.com/2023/12/29/another-portable-radio-telescope/
