Tutorial Elektro L

Tutorial: Elektro-L

What it is. Elektro-L N3, N4 and N5 are Russian geostationary weather satellites. They broadcast HRIT and LRIT pictures in L-band around 1691 MHz with the same data format as GOES (xRIT), and a separate GGAK space-weather telemetry stream on 1693 MHz. The pictures cover the Earth disc as seen from Russia's longitudes: Elektro-L N3 is at 76E, N4 at 165.8E and N5 at 14.5W (from the mode's own notes).

What you need

• Radio. A radio that tunes 1.69 GHz, 2.4 Msps (lowest working rate 200 ksps). See Supported-radios.
• Antenna. A dish of about 1 m or a 1.7 GHz grid antenna, aimed at one of the satellites, with a low-noise amplifier and a filter at the feed. Antenna power via bias-tee or injector.
• Frequencies from the repository's frequency database. Elektro-L LRIT 1691.000 MHz (mode default); GGAK telemetry at 1693 MHz. The tuning range is 1670 to 1710 MHz.

Before you start

• Check which of the three satellites is above your horizon with an online satellite finder: each covers only the part of the world within sight of its longitude, and low elevations need a clear view to the horizon.
• Gain: moderate; add a 1.7 GHz filter to keep cellular and radar out.
• HRIT at 665.4 ksym/s is the usual broadcast; LRIT at 64 or 128 ksym/s is slower, sometimes on 1693 MHz.

Step by step

1. Mode list, group Satellite & navigation, entry Weather images, 1691 MHz.
2. Choose Satellite (N3, N4, N5) and Link (HRIT at 1691 MHz, LRIT, or GGAK at 1693 MHz). The Frequency field shows 1691 MHz or 1693 MHz.
3. Press Start, then aim the dish slowly until the state shows lock.
4. Watch Products fill.

What you should see

A product list and an image viewer; for GGAK a frame log.

Reading the screen

• Products. Product, Kind, Done; Newest shows the latest image as it arrives; Save writes the shown product into the elektro folder (images as PNG, pictures and ZIP files as they came, text as .txt); Save automatically writes every complete product; Clear.
• GGAK log. Columns Marker, Sub, Timestamp, CRC. GGAK is space-weather telemetry (magnetometer and particle detectors), not pictures: 5 ksym/s PCM/PM on 1693 MHz.
• Log and State.

Options and settings

Filter, Newest, Save, Save automatically, Clear.

Troubleshooting

• No lock. Pointing, LNA power, wrong satellite.
• Pictures cannot be decoded. Saved as they came.
• No frames on 1693 MHz. Only GGAK or LRIT; check which link is selected.
• Overload. Add a filter.
• Nothing from one satellite. It may be below your horizon; try another.

Tips

Compare with Tutorial-GOES-HRIT; the chain is the same.

Legal and privacy notes

These are open broadcasts, receive only. See Legal.

Under the hood

BPSK, Viterbi (K = 7), Reed-Solomon, CCSDS xRIT: HRIT at 665.4 ksym/s, LRIT at 128 or 64 ksym/s; GGAK 5 ksym/s PCM/PM.

Related

Mode-Elektro-L, Tutorial-GOES-HRIT, Tutorial-HRPT-AHRPT, Tutorial-Weather-satellite-images