How I Use N2YO.COM for Amateur Radio LEO Satellite Work
N2YO.COM is one of my favourite websites for checking amateur radio satellite passes. It is a wonderful site which is currently tracking about twenty nine thousand objects in orbit. Of course, I am interested only in Low Earth Orbit Satellites, especially those with an amateur radio FM voice repeater. Occasionally I do check new satellites with digipeater and SSTV transmissions as well. I use the pass direction displayed on the website to point my fixed Moxon Yagi in the appropriate direction to maximize the chance of working other amateur radio stations through voice repeaters on satellites. Though I typically point the antenna towards the point of maximum elevation azimuth, sometimes I do point differently if I expect certain stations to come up in a different direction, like pointing more Northward in a pass coming from the Indian Ocean on the Western side, where there are not many operators on the Southern side.
Most useful feature which I have found is the prediction of passes for the coming 10 days. It helps me to plan my operations as well as to guide new operators on suitable passes in the coming days, especially of International Space Station, which is good for a beginner in LEO satellite communications. It also tells us the visible passes in case someone in your family wishes to have a glimpse of the space station sailing across your night sky like a bright star. It is often quite a thrilling experience for kids at home. That is usually in high elevation passes soon after sunset or just before sunrise, when the sunlight gets reflected off the Space Station and makes it visible to the unaided eye, provided it is not obscured by clouds, buildings or trees. If you click on the “Map and details” link you will get the map showing direction of pass with times, as shown initially.
To get accurate results, your Maidenhead grid square has to be entered initially. Otherwise the grid of your internet service provider may be used, which need not be same as yours. Alternatively you can give latitude and longitude of your location. You can find satellites using the search facility at the top of the page. Alerts can be setup for different satllites and there is option to check another grid which is not yours. It is not mandatory to give email id and mobile number, though you might as well give them if you please. Usually only username and password are needed to start using the website. Verification question and answer can be set initially. This screen will appear when you click on ‘Change’ near the “Observing coord.” on the 10 day prediction page shown earlier.
There is also a live animation of the satellite path along the grey line world map in the initial page. Details like NORAD ID, international code, perigee, apogee, inclination, period and semi major axis are also listed. Types of transponders, their uplink and downlink frequencies, tone required for access, two line or Keplerian elements needed for tracking in software and launch details are also available. There are also good articles to read on the homepage regarding space and satellites. There are probably more features which I am not aware of, which you might discover on detailed survery of the website. Overall I find N2YO.COM a very useful website for space and satellite enthusiasts.