[Gpredict-discussion] GPREDICT 1.3 Questions

[Charles D P. <ch...@in...>]

All, I need to ask a question about Gpredict 1.3-1

I am running a version ported to the Macintosh; running it on my totally
obsolete G4s (Mirror Drive Door and Powerbook) and we are using it to contribute
ground traces to proposals we have given to NASA, for some R&D projects. I know
I need to update my hardware! But the program does amazing work even on these
relics.

I am trying to add some TLEs that the JSpOC does not publish, some of the NOSS
(sometimes called White Cloud) satellites. Yes I have a very good reason to do
this and it does not involve Wikileaks or anyone!!

So what is the question?

I have tried to update from "Local Files" but I can only get Gpredict to load
the .txt files from the "Celetrak/NORAD" site, when I build a test file on my
Mac with a TLE (from Heaven's Above, for instance 23893) it tries to go back to
the Celestrak/NORAD lists - even after I delete those list from the Update TLE
preferences. I have a folder on my desktop with just 23893 in it and the update
still tries to use the Celestrak/NORAD lists, though I can see the .txt file. I
counted them and it is looking for 1503 objects (was 1502 until earlier today
when #39238 was added). Somewhere, my version stores those lists.

When I update from the network, the preference works and the update finds no
satellites (since I deleted "Celestrak/NORAD" lists from the preferences). When
those lists are in the preferences the network update works just fine.

I have tested it several times and cannot find any errors I have made. I have
read the User's Manual several times.

I got some SGP4 code from a cubesat developer in California and can propagate
that TLE just fine, but that code does not create ground traces. I know that the
TLE is good but I need to get some ground traces so i can show relatives
positions. Heaven's Above generates almost acceptable ground traces.

Who else might be running Gpredict on Macs? Does Update From Local Files work
correctly on newer versions? Any ideas?

By the way, when satellites decay they continue to show up in ground traces,
etc. However now the epoch time is the decay time. Raiko is an example (NORAD
#38852), though the update correctly recognizes that the TLE is "obsolete".
Maybe on newer versions the program recognizes that a satellite has decayed and
will not show it on the map???

Charles Phillips
Intelligent Commercial Spaceflight
Houston, Texas