Android application that acts as the interface, database, and control system for an automatic satellite tracking mount. The app displays satellites and their paths on an interactive world map, computes tracking paths from Keplerian Two-Line Element (TLE) data, and sends commands to a microcontroller to control antenna positioning in real-time.
- Offline Operation: Designed to work without WiFi or mobile data, enabling reliable use in field conditions.
- TLE Database: Preloaded with amateur radio TLE datasets. Users can import
.tlefiles, which are parsed into satellite objects and stored locally. - Interactive World Map UI: Touch-interactive map with pinch-to-zoom and pan, displaying current location and plotted satellite paths.
- Satellite Path Plotting: 90-minute orbital paths, color-coded per satellite with start/stop markers.
- Settings Page: Import new TLE datasets, adjust path propagation parameters (tracking duration, step size).
- Log Page: Displays errors, TLE import logs, settings changes, and azimuth/elevation propagation outputs.
- Path Propagation (Az/El): Generates satellite tracking paths relative to user’s position and sends them to the microcontroller.
- UART Communication: Transmits propagated satellite paths via USB-C serial connection to the mount’s microcontroller.
- Manual Adjustment: After propagation, users can manually adjust antenna tracking paths from the UI.
- TLE Parsing: Validated against Celestrak orbital datasets with high accuracy.
- Path Propagation: Compared against SatPC32 outputs (PC software) — deviations minimal and caused by interval differences.
- UI: Tested across multiple Android devices (portrait/landscape modes, zoom limits, user location display). Satellite list sorted by proximity for efficient tracking.
Sample Validation Data (Application vs SatPC32):
| Azimuth (App) | Azimuth (SatPC32) | Elevation (App) | Elevation (SatPC32) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36.2315° | 36.4215° | 8.0241° | 8.0522° |
| 37.9122° | 38.0011° | 8.7354° | 8.7798° |
| 38.6904° | 38.6685° | 9.4634° | 9.5041° |
| 39.1109° | 39.1210° | 10.2413° | 10.3114° |
- Mobile-first: Unlike PC-only software (e.g., SatPC32), this runs on Android phones and tablets for portability.
- Touch-interactive UI: More intuitive navigation and faster control in field conditions.
- Fewer advanced satellite-tracking features compared to PC software due to hardware constraints of mobile devices.
- Requires Android SDK 34 or higher.
- Database Operations: Add/remove satellites directly within the app.
- Support for Additional Filetypes: Import
.csv,.xml, and.kvnTLE datasets. - Automatic TLE Updates: Download updated datasets when connected to the internet.