ProSat for iphone

[W6VDC]

Does anybody use ProSat for the iphone?  I just purchased it and started using it.  I really like it so far.  I am new to sats and am still working on getting my first QSL.  I've just been listening...

One of the features in ProSat is that it will provide continuously updating Doppler Corrected Frequencies.  It looks like a great feature but, I think that it is wrong.  Anybody else have this issue or know what I'm doing wrong?  For example SO-50 I entered Rcv 436.795 and it is telling me the corrected frequency is 451.088...It's still out of range for 10 minutes but you get the idea.  Just curious.  Thanks.

[VE3WMB]

I purchased PocketSat 3 LE  and also downloaded the Free Version of Satellite Tracker and tried both of them out today.

 In the end I bought the paid version of Satellite Tracker (Plus) and I used it today to predict a couple of passes on AO-51 and it worked
well. It is completely adequate for my needs and was only $1.99.
The "Radar scope" is very simple (now that I understand it) and works very well for portable Satellite tracking. I also compared the output against the web-based prediction page from the AMSAT website and it checks out.

PocketSat 3 LE is not bad but it is really geared to those interested in visual Satellite spotting and is limited to bright sats which unfortunately doesn't include any of the Amateur Sats. Still it was worth buying it as a preview for the non-Lite version of this app which apparently does include the Ham Sats but seems way too pricey at $24.99 for an iPhone app.

I didn't get around to trying ProSat unfortunately, but for now I am quite happy with using Satellite Tracker Plus. I recommend that anyone interested in Sat tracking on their iPhone or iPod touch give the
free version of this app a try.

Michael VE3WMB

[K6LCS]

I just want to clear up a possible misconception regarding PocketSat.

>> ... PocketSat 3 LE is not bad but it is really geared to those interested in visual Satellite spotting and is limited to bright sats which unfortunately doesn't include any of the Amateur Sats ...

PocketSat for the Palm - and now for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch - is what I use all the time - and ONLY for the amateur satellites. Maybe the "LE" edition is limited somehow ... But I think you just might have missed a setting or two in it to be able to reliably track and see future passes of AMSAT's 59 sats currently in their database. (Other data sources are easily imported, too.)

Yes, of the over 100 applications I have purchased for my 3G 32GB iPod touch, PocketSat3 was, indeed, the most expensive - at $24.99. I am not independently wealthy, but I have "been with" PocketSat for several years, first with a few Palm PDAs and now with my touch. So - I had little "learning curve" by purchasing a familiar product. And users (registered or not!) can easily and quickly reach PocketSat's author with questions or comments. Heck, a week or so after Jim released the app in Apple's App Store, someone asked, "Hey, can you do Iridium flares?" And within a couple weeks, there was an update (free to registered users, of course) that included tracking Iridium flares.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS
http://www.work-sat.com

[N6RSX]

yes I have it- but for free, "satellite tracker" works way better and I am on FM and SSB sats regularly
N6RSX

[VE3WMB]

Clint :

The LE version of PocketSat is limited and has a fixed DB which only includes the brightest Sats.
It is intended for visual satellite observation.

To quote the support website : http://www.pocketsat.com/products/ps3iphone.php

"PocketSat3 LE
In addition to the full PocketSat3 application, there is also a less expensive "LE" version available. It is identical to PocketSat3 except that it only works with a fixed set of 40 of the brightest satellites in the sky. These include the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Space Shuttle (if it happens to be flying) so PocketSat3 LE is perfect for the neophyte or casual satellite observer who would still like to use a full-featured tool."

So if you want to track Amateur sats you need the full version. Don't get me wrong it
is a very good application and I have used the Palm version in the past. All I was trying to do
was to flag that the LE version is not intended for Amateur Radio Satellite tracking.
The full version of this program does not have this restriction, thus the price difference.

The author should make this distinction clear in his description in the App Store. It cost me $1.99
(no big loss) to figure this out for myself.

Michael VE3WMB

I just want to clear up a possible misconception regarding PocketSat.

>> ... PocketSat 3 LE is not bad but it is really geared to those interested in visual Satellite spotting and is limited to bright sats which unfortunately doesn't include any of the Amateur Sats ...

PocketSat for the Palm - and now for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch - is what I use all the time - and ONLY for the amateur satellites. Maybe the "LE" edition is limited somehow ... But I think you just might have missed a setting or two in it to be able to reliably track and see future passes of AMSAT's 59 sats currently in their database. (Other data sources are easily imported, too.)

Clint Bradford, K6LCS
http://www.work-sat.com

[K6LCS]

>> ... The author should make this distinction clear in his description in the App Store ...

Thanks for the follow-up. I may be "too close" to PocketSat ... I have registered it for the Palm a few years ago, and have followed it to the new app for my 3rd Gen 32GB iPod touch. I don't leave home without it ... (grin).

Clint Bradford, K6LCS
http://www.work-sat.com