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QSO Finder
The QSO Finder page is a planning tool that helps determine whether two grid squares can both see the same satellite during an overlapping operating window.
Related pages:
QSO Finder compares two station locations against one selected satellite and searches for mutual visibility windows.
It is intended for planning, not live tuning or device control.
The page uses:
- Grid 1
- Grid 2
- one selected satellite
- minimum elevation
- search horizon or search window
- minimum overlap duration
A result means both locations can see the selected satellite during the same overlapping time window.
This does not guarantee a successful contact by itself. It is a visibility-planning tool.
The map shows:
- the selected satellite path
- the two grid locations
- the visibility footprints used for the overlap calculation
- the area where the pass is operationally relevant for both stations
The result summary shows:
- Grid 1 visibility window
- Grid 2 visibility window
- QSO window start in local time and UTC
- QSO window end in local time and UTC
- overlap duration
The individual visibility windows can differ between the two stations because the satellite does not rise, peak, and set at the same time from every location.
The minimum elevation value is used when calculating whether the pass is operationally useful for both stations.
Increasing the minimum elevation can reduce or eliminate a mutual window, even when both stations can technically see the satellite lower on the horizon.
This page exists so operators can answer a practical question before a pass begins:
- can these two stations both work this satellite at the same time?