When I first started, I took a “spray and pray” (shotgun) approach, but I could barely decode anything and ended up getting frustrated and trying TinyGS instead.
While it was fun watching packets stack up easily on TinyGS, I got a bit bored after a few weeks. So, I dusted off my RTL-SDR dongle and came back to SatNOGS! This time, I’m changing my strategy—instead of random reception, I want to focus on specific, easy-to-decode satellites and actually get some solid decodes.
So, I’d love to start a thread: What are your top recommended satellites for beginners to get that first sweet taste of success (maybe a “Best 10” list)?
What were your first “win” satellites when you were starting out? Would love to hear your recommendations!
Given the UHF antenna, I would focus on ISS first. The transmitter at 437.800 has good audio from radio amateurs in range of the satellite which you can listen back on your observation.
As a SatNOGS operator living in Japan, I receive the following satellites. (This is an excerpt from the management spreadsheet list used for the satnogs-auto-scheduler.)
I hope this is helpful.
For some satellites, it may be necessary to enable “gr-satellite.”
Thank you all so much for the amazing recommendations and the real-world lists! Kazuki, special thanks for sharing your auto-scheduler spreadsheet—that is super helpful for an operator in Japan!
I’ve already confirmed that my indoor antenna has its strict limits. Now I need to figure out how to protect an outdoor antenna from heavy snow here, or… maybe my station will just go into “hibernation” during the harsh winter months!
Thanks again for the warm welcome back. I’m excited to start targeting these and get some solid decodes!