Satellite Watch Working at Puebla, Mexico.

All of present images, are processed with David Taylor´s software in Scotland. Thanks for share excellent tool for better images view. Specially I use, Read HRPT and WXTRACK, both from creativity of David. I encourage you to visit David Taylor web place.
I employ famous Time Step english made equipment, coupled with a parabolic commercial manufactured antenna and a helicoidal reception arregment for avoid lost signal, related with signal change polarity when satellite cross from south to north or viceversa and also increasing antenna gain, this helicoid was made, here in Mexico. My driving antenna system is a Yaesu dual azimuth and altitude simultaneous movements for put in point the satellite.
My system works with manual driving, this is because automatic systems normally lost signal with high orbits, so I prefer the emotion of follow satellites on orbit passing above my station.
Kosmos Puebla XE 1TAF is situated in Puebla city at central Mexico (19° 02´29.72"N, 98° 11´ 59.31"W and 2168 msl.).
For satellite reception, is absolutly important time control, so I use a receptor radioclock receiving WWV time signals from Boulder Colorado. Also is important update a numbers called "keplerian elements" this is necesary for programm orbit calculus. Normally the solar wind and other physical factors, influenced the orbital satellite motion; for this reason is necesary update frecuently this numbers. I use Celestrack data, a extraordinary webpage of doctor Kelso.
My principal focus is analysis image from East Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Caribean Sea for watch tropical storms or hurricanes. This phenomena affected seriously all mexican coast with strong rains, floodings and many economic lost.
Actually the most easy and good infromation meteorological satellite belongs to NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, USA) and Feng Yun 1-D of China. Both in POAS (Polar Orbits), in other words, satellite travel from pole to pole, covering all earth surface in 13 daily orbits.
NOAA satellites are in a range from 820 to 870 km altitude same for Feng Yun. NOAA cover a spectral range in 5 channels, from visible to infrared. Feng Yun 1-D covers 10 spectral channels, visible to infrared. Resolution is excellent 1.1 kmxpixel at satellite nadir. All satellite frecuencies are in range 1698 Mhz to 1707 Mhz.
In this blog you can see hurricanes, tropical storms and other phenomena as volcanic activity and specially watch Popocatépetl volcano, situated only 44 km from my station. finally, if you are interested on satellite motion and observation, visit the excellent page: Heavens Above. This is a great training experience.
All images are free, but if you want use my images, please the citation is: Kosmos Puebla XE1TAF.
For additional information only write me.