Project Summary | Project Information |
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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. |
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Team Members

Pictured, from left to right: Steven Latham, James Zhang, Max Proskauer, Noah Lach, Nick Blachowicz and Peter Miller
Name | Major | Role | Contact |
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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 |
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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 |
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Facility Layout Manuals |
Mockups Test Fixtures Prototyping Test Plans |
Analysis Results Simulations Test Results |
Design Review Documents Technical Paper Poster Imagine RIT Exhibit |