Satellite tracking app (free)

The always interesting Southgate ARS News page has a link to a free app by Tom W9KE for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices to allow tracking in real time of satellite passes. The app has a nice user interface and looks to be extremely useful if you enjoy tracking satellites and the ISS as well as want to work through some of the amateur radio satellites up there.  The App is available from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/satellite-explorer-pro/id669039200. The only thing the app seems to miss is a list of the amateur satellite frequencies (up/down) and their modes of operation. I guess one has to look this up somewhere else. 

iPhone and iPod Touch

My iPod Touch 4g battery, not easily replaceable, is now suffering from low capacity after being used daily for over 2.5 years quite intensively.

Of all the technology kit I have owned over the years, my iPod Touch 4g must rank as the very best. It gets used to surf the net over wi-fi, to communicate with our children and grandchildren when on holiday as well as for BBC iPlayer, music, videos, games, amateur radio applications and much more. Mine is the 8GB version but I see Amazon is now selling the 16GB 4th generation version for just £129, which is a bargain. I am sorely tempted to replace my aged unit.

For amateur radio apps that run on the iOS kit like iPhones and iPods, see http://www.g0hwc.com/iphone.html.

Android and iPod WSPR

WSPR on the iPod Touch 4g

To the best of my knowledge no-one has (yet) produced apps for these devices that allow them to be used as WSPR mode terminals.  Not being a software expert (at all) I am rather surprised at this: these are now very common platforms that a wide variety of people have. The number is growing daily. How much more convenient it would be to use my little iPod Touch 4g, for example, with a simple QRP WSPR transceiver, than with a PC or laptop. Are there any technical reasons why such apps haven't appeared?

If anyone knows if this has/is being done please let me know. I am aware of WSPR watch but this is NOT a WSPR terminal, just a neat reporting app.  The picture shows what WSPR might look like on such a device - I wish!

I wrote to Joe Taylor to find out if the creator of WSPR knew of any attempts. This was his reply:

"Hi Roger,

No such effort has been attempted, to my knowledge.

   -- Joe, K1JT"

SpectrumView for iPod/iPhone

SpectrumView 0-24kHz displays of waterfall and spectrum

Looking around for useful (free) software to help me with VLF and lightbeam tests I came across SpectrumView yesterday. This is a fabulous application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad which provides a 0-24kHz spectrum analyser and a waterfall display.  The app is produced by Oxford Wave Research.

To make best use of this I need to connect an external audio input into my iPod Touch 4g.  A 4-pin jack plug when inserted, rather than a 3-pin one, allows an external audio input (or a mic) to be connected so I can feed my VLF receivers, used for both 8.7-9.1kHz earth-mode comms and for lightbeam baseband/sub-carrier detection, directly into the iPod.  Resolution will be down to around 2Hz at best, so this will be of somewhat limited use, but certainly easier than a laptop for quick field tests or quantitative measurements.

The mic input (on a 4-pin jack) is on pin 4 (nearest the plug cover) and the ground is the next one down the connector (pin 3). The tip (pin 1) and pin next to the tip (pin 2) are the two audio outputs for a headset.


UPDATE 16.3.12: to tell the iPod Touch 4g that an external mic is connected you seem to need to have a 4k7 resistor to ground across the terminals. See later post for details.

13cm handheld "DX" QSO

My iPod Touch 4g has the free Echolink app installed and last night, when I went to bed, I decided to give it a try. I managed to work a mobile station in Brisbane, Australia using the Brisbane repeater. In effect, the iPod Touch is used as a 13cm QRP handheld transceiver (using the 802.11 wi-fi functionality). Fun, with simple operation and good audio reports. I continue to be amazed by the iPod Touch 4g which is a truly amazing piece of kit for around £160. There are very many useful amateur radio applications including a free oscilloscope and audio spectrum analysers and spectrograms for a few pounds only.

iPOD - 1940s style

This was posted on the QRP newsgroup today. Wonderful idea.
http://www.retrothing.com/2010/03/vacuum-tube-radio-hat.html