🇺🇸 Commodore VIC-20 Satellite Tracking: Part 2 (Loading The Software) [TCE
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Made some progress - finally able to load the software, mostly. First, I gave the computer a good clean and repaired the keyboard: missing [C=] key & key stem, missing spring for [6] key, and part of a key stem stuck in the [6] key that I had to remove.
After some time (and multiple Datasettes), I realised that the tape may have been created using a normal cassette recorder as it came with one of those converter boxes, so a regular Datasette might not work.
I got a converter box out (different one) and hooked up my trusty Texas Instruments Program Recorder ... and after some tone & volume adjustments (i.e. stick both to the middle position) ... I got the programs to load.
There's three versions, in order from oldest to newest ... 1984, 1985, 1986 ... I think:
[1] VICTRAK-MAP
[2] VICTRAK 2.1
[3] VICTRAK+ 1.3
They are written by a ham radio operator it seems (surprise!) ... K7NH ... Neil Hill?
www.qrzcq.com/...
The last one, VICTRAK+ says it's distributed by "Spectrum West" now, in addition to being by K7NH, and incudes the AUTOROTOR code for controlling an antenna. This one isn't working properly at the moment - (see update below) - I'm not sure if its corrupted or I have the wrong RAM configuration. I tried it with the included 16KByte RAM expansion (so 19.5KByte in total).
{Update 25-Jun-2024}
The VICTRAK+ program loads with 3KByte expansion. I have clean, digitised (WAV) copies of each program now on my Github ... next, to convert to PRG format.
github.com/0dd...
Oh, and it seems their author, Neil Hill K7NH, passed away in 2018, which was sad to read:
forum.orbxdire...
From Part 1:
Thought this was interesting - couldn't find much information about it. The software is called VICTRAK+ by a company called "Spectrum West" and the hardware is called AUTOTRAK V20 (for VIC-20).
The software is designed to let you track satellites and predict where they will be at a future date.
The hardware, I believe, is designed to move an antenna automatically to point at the satellite using software called AUTOROTOR ... that's my guess anyway.
It has four LEDs labelled:
CCW (counter clockwise)
CW (clockwise)
DN (down)
UP (duh)
It has also four trimpots labelled 1 to 4 ... to adjust the slew speed of each direction motor?
![🇬🇧 Sinclair ZX Spectrum: Part 6 (Troubleshooting in circles?) [TCE #0520]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I3ixrDaoIeo/mqdefault.jpg)
That screw trick really worked well!
Nice progress and good work on the key!
AOS is Acquisition Of Signal, when you can first hear/receive the satellite as it rises over the horizon. At the other end of the pass is LOS, Loss Of Signal
I wouldn't have expected a map on such a limited computer. Satellite tracking is very math intensive. Quite a task for a small 8 bit! Good job getting it running.
BRG is bearing, aka azimuth. EL is elevation. These are used to point the antennas manually at the satellite as it passes.
09, 010 and 011 refer to NOAA polar orbiting weather satellites NOAA-9, NOAA-10 and NOAA-11. These were replaced long ago.
Is a VIC-20 Y2K compatible? I wouldn't think so, but if it is you could track the ISS and listen in or even watch it go by.
The hardware can't do anything without the azimuth and elevation rotators it's meant to control. At best you will get errors when there is no movement detected.
I'm looking forward to the software. I may be able to adapt it to another machine, though it's been quite a few decades since I looked at a BASIC program.
Yeah, it's a pretty neat piece of software ... although maybe Australia could've been drawn a little better :) I'm guessing the software just uses the two digit year at the moment, assuming 19XX but I don't see why it couldn't be updated ... i.e. either assume all years are now 20xx or modify the code a bit more to accept 19xx-20xx ... let's see once I can get it off the tape an upload it.
thats some pritty damn cool software for the time..
...you'll need to put your location lat/long in somewhere to get the right numbers... you could maybe lookup one on of the sat tracking sites and see if you can get a match... i use n2yo dot com....
Yep - you need to edit the programme to set your location