SatBox Standalone Amateur Satellite Tracking Controller (2026/09/09)

JI1FGX/DU9 Amateur Radio Diary, Mindanao, Philippines, IOTA OC-130

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Yesterdays access
Page Top	[Lily Diary.】 A diary of life in Mindanao.

Contents by Year:

26/11/07	SatBox_Ver0.1.1c-beta IC-9700 Test Version
26/11/07	SatBox User Guide
26/11/03	An FT-847 for SatBox Development
26/11/02	Buying a ZT219 Digital Multimeter
26/10/28	Building a home server using Linux
26/10/27	Repeater Controller Features and Settings
26/10/27	Repeater Controller Board and Firmware

26/10/26	JTDX Auto Run Ver0.7.7
26/10/26	WSJT-X Auto Run Ver0.1.6
26/10/22	Memories of UNIX and Networking from My Yonezawa Ham Shack
26/10/20	Acquiring a YAESU FT-2600M for a Repeater
26/10/19	Rotator Relay Interface for Sale
26/10/18	Kenpro Rotator Interface KiCAD DATA
26/10/17	JOTA in Indonesia: Jamboree on the Air
26/10/17	You Can Now Leave Comments
26/10/11	Installing Arduino IDE
26/10/09	DXCC200 Sticker Arrives from ARRL
26/10/08	SatBox Cloud Released
26/10/06	Bought an ECS LIVA Z Mini PC on Yahoo Auctions
26/10/05	QSO with C5R in The Gambia
26/10/04	Installing Raspberry Pi OS
26/10/02	Repeater Controller Features and Settings
26/10/01	Repeater Controller Board and Firmware
26/09/30	Ordering PCBs and Assembly from JLCPCB
26/09/24	UNITRUST Electronics Parts Shop
26/09/22	Kenpro Rotator Interface
26/09/18	SatBox KiCad PCB and firmware
26/09/14	designed a circuit board for SatBox
26/09/12	Solar Power System Plan
26/09/09	Satellite SatBox Part 4
26/09/04	My grandson Zion
26/08/29	Ham Fair 2026 to be held
26/08/25	QSO with RI1FJL from Franz Josef Land
26/08/23	Satellite QSO via RS-44
26/08/22	Currently, Satellite VUCC46
26/08/16	Satellite SatBox Development in Progress - Part 3
26/08/05	IC-820H Receiver Sensitivity Test
26/08/02	Satellite SatBox Development in Progress - Part 2
26/07/16	Delivery of the 3D printed panels
26/07/09	Development of SatBox for satellites
26/07/05	Weather Monitor Indoor Unit
26/06/30	Creating data for 3D printers using FreeCAD
26/06/16	Installing an AS5600 magnetic encoder on a KR-500.
26/06/05	Grandson Zion's CQ
26/06/04	Replacing the potentiometer on the KR-500 elevation rotator
26/06/03	Making a Repeater Controller Pert4
26/06/01	Weather Monitor software
26/05/31	Weather Monitor
26/05/21	JTDX Auto Run BUGFIX
26/05/17	Repair of satellite antenna system
26/05/13	Repair of Alinco DR130
26/05/07	Making a Repeater Controller Pert3
26/05/03	Indonesian satellite friend YC8RPK
26/04/26	DXCC200 achieved
26/04/23	Communication via ISS voice repeater
26/04/20	WSJT-X Auto Run Ver0.1.5
26/04/19	Got an Alinco DR-130
26/04/15	Clublog Charts
26/04/10	Regarding POC transceivers
26/04/08	Using KENWOOD AT-300 with YAESU radio
26/03/17	How to establish a radio club in the Philippines
26/03/10	KENWOOD AT-300 with YAESU radio
26/02/27	Philippine NTC Amateur Radio License Examination Question Bank
26/02/20	Package received from JK1SNS
26/02/18	Temporary License Renewal
26/02/14	Satellite Tracking Software SatTrack
26/02/05	Making a Repeater Controller Pert2
26/02/02	CQ on satellite IO-86
26/01/27	Shack & Repeater Controller
26/01/16	Making a Repeater Controller
26/01/16	Making aRotator Interface PCB
26/01/10	Satellite antenna installation
26/01/08	WSJT-X Remote Operation
26/01/07	JTDX Remote Operation
26/01/04	log_reciver_Ver2.6.6
26/01/04	Tailscale VPN software for JTDX_Remote

Online Multiple Choice Reviewers to
the Phil Amateur Radio Examination
by 4F3EW

A joint project by JI1FGX/DU9 and DV9JRD

SatBox Standalone Amateur Satellite Tracking Controller (2026/09/09)

SatBox under development, built around an ESP32-S3.
Equipped with a 3.5-inch capacitive-touch LCD and a rotary encoder.

What is SatBox?

SatBox is anESP32-S3-based standalone satellite tracking controller.
Without a continuously connected PC, SatBox calculates satellite orbits, predicts AOS/LOS, controls antenna azimuth/elevation, corrects radio Doppler shift, provides AOS notifications and sends QSO log data. Log storage and uploads to external services use a log server running on a Windows PC.

Previously, SatBox handled radio Doppler correction while SatPC32 controlled the rotator. On September 9, 2026, I connected SatBox directly to the rotator controller and confirmed automatic AZ (azimuth) and EL (elevation) tracking. The photographs show prototype wiring.

Satellite Tracking → Rotator Control → Doppler Correction → Radio Control → QSO Logging

Main screen showing the satellite name, AOS/LOS, azimuth/elevation, uplink/downlink frequencies, OFFSET, and rotator/Doppler control status.

SatBox Setup Screen

LCD Setup: Displays and Controls
Item	Description / Operation
LOCAL clock	Shows the current device time in local time. Time settings and displays on this page use LOCAL time.
IP／DNS	Shows the current IP address and hostname for browser access from the same LAN.
NASA.ALL	Shows when the orbital data was last downloaded. Unknown is displayed if the download time is unavailable.
Update time: LOCAL	Indicates that the NASA.ALL download timestamp is displayed in local time. This is not a scheduled update time.
UPDATE／Queued	Requests a manual NASA.ALL update. The label changes to Queued, and downloading waits until all passes of checked tracking satellites have ended. Duplicate requests are ignored while queued; there is no cancellation control. Overlapping passes may cause a long wait. The button returns to UPDATE after processing.
Update result	NASA.ALL updated indicates success. Update failed; saved data retained indicates failure; saved data remains in use.
Min El: ON / OFF and deg (peak)	Enables/disables pass filtering by maximum elevation. Select the numeric field and use − / + to set the minimum acceptable peak elevation. This is not the current instantaneous elevation.
Track: start − end	Sets the permitted automatic tracking window in local time. Select an hour/minute field and adjust it with − / +. 00:00–24:00, or equal start/end times, means all day.
Tracking: all day／timed window	Indicates whether tracking is permitted all day or within a specified time window.
OFFSET	Opens the per-satellite RX OFFSET viewer/editor.
−／＋	Decreases/increases the selected elevation or time value.
OK	Saves the edited minimum-elevation condition and tracking time window.
Return	Returns to the main screen without saving pending edits. It does not cancel an accepted UPDATE request.

3.5-inch Touchscreen LCD and Front-panel Operation

The front panel has a3.5-inch LCD with a capacitive touchscreenand a rotary encoder. The main screen shows the current time, satellite name, AOS/LOS, azimuth at AOS, maximum elevation, current AZ/EL, uplink/downlink frequencies, operating modes and RX OFFSET.
The LCD and rotary encoder let you set radio frequencies, start/stop Doppler control, select satellites and control the rotator directly from SatBox.

Inside SatBox: ESP32-S3, RTC and rotator-control circuitry. The photograph shows prototype wiring.

SatBox PCB

The dedicated SatBox PCB design is complete, and I plan to order PCB fabrication and assembly (PCBA) from JLCPCB. No order has been placed yet, so the published PCB has not been tested on actual hardware.
As I am living on a pension, I have not yet been able to cover the approximately JPY 15,000 cost of the order.
Donations to help fund development would be greatly appreciated. PayPal: du9@ji1fgx.com

Dedicated SatBox PCB layout designed in KiCad. Fabrication, assembly and hardware verification are still pending.

Satellite Selection and Pass Prediction

Press Sat to display the satellites registered for tracking. Each entry shows the countdown to the next AOS, AOS/LOS times and maximum elevation (Max El). Up to 10 satellites can be registered in Web setup.
Checked satellites are tracked in sequence according to the configured minimum elevation and tracking time window.

Satellite list showing upcoming passes for FSI-SAT 2, IO-86, SO-50, ISS, FO-29, RS-44, AO-123 and others.

AZ/EL Rotator Control

SatBox calculates satellite positions in real time andautomatically controls both AZ (azimuth) and EL (elevation) axesof the antenna rotator.
The Manual Rotor touchscreen page also provides direct AZ left/right and EL up/down controls. Position sensing can be calibrated in the Web interface.

Manual Rotor screen: touch controls move AZ left/right and EL up/down.

Automatic Radio Doppler Control

SatBox calculates Doppler shift from the relative motion of the satellite and ground station and automatically corrects transmit and receive frequencies. Currently supported radios are theICOM IC-820Hand in theYAESU FT-847.
ICOM radio control uses a CI-V interface.
Both FM and linear-transponder satellites such as RS-44 and FO-29 are supported. For a linear satellite, anRX OFFSETadjusted to the actual received signal can be saved per satellite and automatically applied on later passes.

Automatic Orbital-data Updates

SatBox obtains orbital elements (TLEs) from AMSAT nasa.all. Downloads run at startup and at 13:00 daily, with the scheduled update skipped if data has already been downloaded that day. Manual updates are also available from Satellite Selection.

Web-browser Operation

SatBox has a built-in Web server. A PC, tablet or smartphone on the same LAN can display satellite information and operate SatBox through a browser.
The Web console provides LOCAL/GMT display, rotator and Doppler control, TIME SHIFT, satellite/frequency information and QSO entry.

Complete Web console: map on the left, satellite information and controls on the right.

Map Display

The Web interface shows the current satellite position on a map alongside AZ/EL meters.
This makes it easy to see where the satellite is flying over the Earth, as well as its numerical position.
Operating settings let you specify the minimum elevation and time window for automatic tracking.

Enlarged map showing the satellite position and AZ/EL meters.

Web Console

For each selected satellite, the console lists status, countdown to AOS, AOS/LOS, azimuth at AOS, maximum elevation and current AZ/EL.
Use the frequency selector to choose the mode and frequency preset for each satellite.
TIME SHIFTvirtually advances the time so that upcoming satellite passes can be examined in advance.
Check the satellites you want to track; SatBox tracks them in sequence according to the configured conditions.

Button Guide
LOCAL	Display local time.
GMT	Display UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
Rotator	Turn rotator control on/off.
Doppler	Turn radio Doppler control on/off.
TIMESHIFT	Shift the operating time to examine a pass and its AOS at the selected time.
RX Manual	Enable manual receive tuning. When disabled, operation follows the preset frequencies.	Linear satellites only
Resume Tracking	Resume Doppler tracking at the downlink where your uplink signal is heard.	Linear satellites only
Save	Save the OFFSET.	Linear satellites only
Reset	Reset the OFFSET.	Linear satellites only
UPLINK	Match the uplink frequency to the downlink tuned with the radio VFO or the rotary encoder.	Linear satellites only

Setup

Change the main SatBox settings from the Web Setup menu.
The menu uses two columns: Network, Station, Satellites, Doppler, OFFSET, Calibration, Radio, Control, Download All Settings and Restore All Settings.
Downloaded settings include Wi-Fi and SMTP passwords. Keep the file private. Restoration restarts SatBox; reconnect using the restored network settings.

Network Setup

Configure the hostname, DHCP, IP address, gateway, SSID, Wi-Fi password and related network settings.
With DHCP enabled, the router assigns an IP address automatically.
On devices supporting mDNS on the same LAN, you can access SatBox by hostname even when DHCP is enabled.
　Example: http://satbox.local/

Network Setup screen

Station Setup

Configure the call sign, latitude, longitude, altitude, time zone, daylight saving time, display language and grid locator.

Satellite Selection

Select up to 10 tracking satellites from those available in nasa.all. This page also provides a manual nasa.all update.
SatBox downloads nasa.all at startup when Wi-Fi is connected. The daily update runs at 13:00 local device time, unless data has already been downloaded that day. If startup download fails, it retries every 60 seconds while Wi-Fi is connected. If a scheduled update fails, saved data is used.

Doppler Setup

Configure each satellite’s uplink/downlink frequencies, transmit/receive modes, NORMAL/REVERSE operation, frequency limits and tone frequency.

Important: the meaning of CSV column 3 depends on the modes.When both transmit and receive modes are USB or LSB and the direction isREV, enter a calculated conversion constantC, rather than the actual receive frequency, in column 3. Frequencies are in MHz.

C = transmit MHz + actual receive MHz
SatBox calculates the receive frequency before Doppler correction asreceive MHz = C − transmit MHz.

FO-29 example: for 145.950MHz transmit and 435.850MHz actual receive,145.950 ＋ 435.850 ＝ 581.800. Enter581.800in column 3.

FO-29,145.950,581.800,LSB,USB,REV,435.800,435.900,0.0,Center

Using the same C, 145.900MHz transmit corresponds to 435.900MHz receive, and 146.000MHz transmit corresponds to 435.800MHz receive. In this software, column 3 is the actual downlink frequency in MHz for fixed FM/CW operation,NOR、DNONLY.

CSV column order (10 columns)
Satellite name, transmit MHz, column 3, transmit mode, receive mode, direction, lower limit MHz, upper limit MHz, tone Hz, comment

Keep all 10 columns even when the final comment is empty. Lines beginning with#are comments. Built-in defaults are created only when/doppler.csvis absent; saved settings are not automatically overwritten.

Rotator Calibration

Calibrate AZ/EL position sensing for your rotator while checking sensor RAW values, voltages and calculated angles.

AZ (azimuth) calibration
　Move the rotator to 0 degrees and press the 0-degree button.
　Move to 360 or 450 degrees according to the rotator’s travel range and press the corresponding button.
　Press Save.
EL (elevation) calibration
　Move the elevation rotator to 0 degrees and press the 0-degree button.
　Move to 180 degrees and press the 180-degree button.
　Press Save.

Reversal delay inserts a stop before changing direction to reduce frequent forward/reverse switching.

Radio Setup

Operation is currently being checked with the ICOM IC-820H and YAESU FT-847.
IC-9700 CI-V control through CT-17 is implemented in SatBox_Ver0.1.1c-beta, but has not yet been tested on a real radio.

Configure the radio model, interface, CAT/CI-V baud rate and ICOM CI-V address. SatBox offers 4800 / 9600 / 19200 / 38400 / 57600 / 115200 bps for IC-9700. Choose a rate supported by the actual radio port and interface, and match the corresponding CI-V setting on the radio. Distinguish the REMOTE-port CI-V settings from the USB CI-V settings.
FT-847 uses COM (RS-232C) and does not require a CI-V address. For IC-9700 testing with the current SatBox firmware, select COM and connect a CT-17 or equivalent to the REMOTE jack. The presence of a baud-rate option does not mean that every interface/rate combination has been verified. IC-9700 USB/FTDI control is not implemented. Restart SatBox after saving. These settings are also available in the PC settings application.

Control Settings

Automatic control
　Minimum elevation: set the elevation threshold for automatic tracking.
Tracking time window
　Set the permitted automatic tracking hours in local time.
Alerts: receive an email notification before satellite AOS.
　Set how many minutes before AOS the email is sent.
　Set the email notification time window in local time.
Mail settings
　Recipient email address
　SMTP server, username and password
　
Passes whose maximum elevation is below the threshold can be excluded from email/voice alerts, automatic tracking and Doppler control.

Smartphone AOS Alarm

Install the dedicated SatBox AOS Alert smartphone app to obtain AOS times and maximum elevations for selected satellites and sound an alarm at the chosen time.
Configure the lead time before AOS, minimum elevation and permitted alarm hours. This feature worksonly while SatBox and the smartphone are on the same local-area network.

SatBox AOS Alert app setup and synchronization screen.

Smartphone AOS alarm showing the satellite name, AOS time and maximum elevation.

QSO Logging

SatBox provides QSO entry for satellite operation. After a contact, enter the other station’s call sign, operating mode and other details in the Web console.
The Windows PC application SatBox_Log_Server.py receives QSO data and saves it as anADIF fileand in theSat_logbook.dbdatabase on the PC. Saved contacts can also be uploaded toLoTW（Logbook of The World）、Club Log、eQSL.
Search and view previous contacts in a Web browser, including UTC date/time, call sign, satellite, mode, band, transmit/receive frequencies and country.
Logging currently requires Windows, withSatBox_Log_Server.exerunning in the background.

QSO search screen showing contact history and links to QRZ.COM and LoTW.

The Goal of SatBox

SatBox is being developed toperform satellite tracking and radio control without a PC and bring operating functions together.

SatBox coordinates the operating sequence: orbital-data download → pass prediction → AOS notification → satellite selection → automatic AZ/EL tracking → radio Doppler correction → satellite communication → QSO logging → upload to LoTW / Club Log / eQSL. Logging and service uploads use the Windows companion server.

Radios currently being checked are the ICOM IC-820H and YAESU FT-847. IC-9700 control through CT-17 is implemented but has not yet been tested on a real radio. SatBox is under development; functions, screens and specifications may change.

September 4, 2026　September 12, 2026