P19151: Satellite Tracking System

/public/

Home

Project Summary	Project Information
Students in ECTET courses relating to wireless communications have the opportunity to study communication protocols used by certain satellites, such as the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather satellites, which continuously transmit images of the Earth's surface, such that weather patterns can be observed. As part of this study, students come to understand the operation of SDRs (Software-Defined Radios). It is also necessary that an antenna be used to receive the signal from the satellite, and for best results, this antenna should be highly directional, and therefore needs to continuously have its position adjusted such that it points towards the satellite whenever the satellite is passing overhead, thereby giving the appearance that the antenna is following the satellite through the sky. In previous semesters, students have accomplished this tracking of satellites by standing in the RIT parking lot, and estimating where to point the antenna in order to maximize the strength of the received signal, while recording the signal with a laptop. Sometimes, it is possible to configure the software being used to record the signal such that the signal strength can be viewed in real time, and used as a type of feedback as to whether the antenna is being aimed correctly. This is not always possible however, and furthermore, there are a number of other factors which can make the capturing of satellite signals a challenge, if they are dependent on a person being available to hold and aim the antenna, such as inclement weather, or the satellite pass occurring at some inconvenient time of day. The purpose of this satellite tracker is to design and construct an electro-mechanical assembly that will hold and aim the antenna where the user tells it to. The system will have an onboard computer which is connected to RITs network, which allows it to be controlled remotely. The PRP can be found here. Project Image	Project Name Satellite Tracking Automated Receiver (STAR) Project Number P19151 Project Family TBD Start Term 2181 End Term 2185 Project Guide Bill Nowak, Martin Pepe Faculty Guide Dr. Miguel Bazdresch, Dr. David Orlicki Primary Customer Dr. Miguel Bazdresch Sponsor (financial support) College of Applied Science and Technology - Department of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering Technology Supplemental funding provided by a gift from Harris Corporation

Team Members

Pictured, from left to right: Steven Latham, James Zhang, Max Proskauer, Noah Lach, Nick Blachowicz and Peter Miller

Pictured, from left to right: Steven Latham, James Zhang, Max Proskauer, Noah Lach, Nick Blachowicz and Peter Miller

Name	Major	Role	Contact
Nick Blachowicz	EET	Team Leader	ndb6815@rit.edu
Steven Latham	EE	Secretary	sl4812@rit.edu
Peter Miller	EE	Communicator	pam3815@rit.edu
Noah Lach	ME	Design Engineer	nxl8400@rit.edu
James Zhang	ME	Purchasing	sxz3065@rit.edu
Max Proskauer	CE	Lead Engineer	mp1902@rit.edu

Work Breakdown: By Phase

MSD I & II	MSD I	MSD II
Planning & Execution Project Photos and Videos Imagine RIT Gate Reviews	Problem Definition Systems Design Preliminary Detailed Design Detailed Design	Build & Test Prep Subsystem Build & Test Integrated System Build & Test Customer Handoff & Final Project Documentation (Verification & Validation)

Work Breakdown: By Topic

Project Management	Design Tools	Design Documentation	Implementation	Validation	Presentation & Dissemination
PRP Requirements Schedule Risk Management Communication & Minutes	Use Cases Benchmarking Functional Decomposition Morphological Chart Pugh Concept Selection	BOM Mechanical Drawings Electrical Schematics Software Diagrams Facility Layout Manuals	Mockups Test Fixtures Prototyping Test Plans	Analysis Results Simulations Test Results	Design Review Documents Technical Paper Poster Imagine RIT Exhibit