New to the Community - Getting a Ground Station set up

Hello!

I have all the hardware pieces in hand to put a Ground Station on the West Coast into the network but I think I am lacking a few software configurations. The hardware includes:

  • A Dual Axis rotor system that supports the GS232 protocol (supported by hamlib)
  • VHF/UHF Yagi Antennas with Preamp on the UHF side
  • Raspberry PI 3 with 32G card
  • FunCube Dongle Pro+ (supported by hamlib)

Using information provided I installed Fedora-25 for the Pi and followed the configuration steps. I think all is ready for me to edit the ‘settings.py’ file but I lack the API code and Station ID and the web site responds to my request that it is invitation only.

Question to the community: Not being a linux person, I went through the rather long and complex process of installing Fedora-25 on the Pi 3 and installing the satNOGS client software. …BUT I also notice instructions for installing the satNOGS client environment on the native pi distribution. Which is the best to use?

Question to the SatNOGS Team: How do I apply for the privilege of putting my ground station into the network and getting the needed data to make the installation accessible?

Sorry for the questions but the web presence is a little disjointed and I am only a casual linux user. Thanks for any help.

Will - N7IPY
Greater Sacramento Area, California, USA

1 Like

Hey,

Unfortunately the latest version of client v0.3 isn’t yet documented, we are in the process of create documentation.

I guess you have found this Issue which contains a draft installation guide of client in rpi3.

If you have any comment or question on this guide, let me know. It is indeed complex as it is more a guide for people who want to develop the client rather than for simple users, however it should work fine.

About the api key you need, you can sign up in network-dev there you will be able to create your station and by clicking on the top right corner on your username and then on “My Profile” you will see your profile page. There by clicking on the top right corner the API key button you will retrieve your key.

After testing in dev network that everything works fine, you will be able to join the production network.

Fredy, Thanks for the input. I guess I should of posted in the ‘General’ section, sorry if this was posted in the wrong location.