SatBox Standalone Amateur Satellite Tracking Controller
An ESP32-S3-based integrated satellite tracking and radio control system.
What is SatBox?
SatBox is an ESP32-S3-based standalone tracking controller for amateur satellite communication. It is designed to perform orbit calculations, pass predictions, rotator tracking, Doppler correction and AOS alerts without requiring a continuously connected PC.
Key Features
Displays AOS/LOS times, maximum elevation and current azimuth/elevation. Up to 10 satellites can be selected for pass prediction.
Front Panel Operation
A 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen and rotary encoder provide local satellite selection, frequency settings, Doppler control and rotator operation.
AZ/EL Rotator Control
Calculates satellite positions in real time and automatically tracks with azimuth (AZ) and elevation (EL) rotators. Manual controls and web-based position-sensor calibration are provided.
Doppler Correction
Controls the ICOM IC-820H over CI-V and automatically corrects uplink and downlink frequencies. Supports FM and linear-transponder satellites such as RS-44 and FO-29, including saved per-satellite RX OFFSET values.
TLE Orbital Data
NASAALL TLE data is automatically retrieved at startup and once per day, with a manual update option in satellite settings.
Web Browser Control
The built-in web console is accessible from a PC, tablet or smartphone on the same LAN. Features include satellite maps, pass lists, LOCAL/GMT display, TIME SHIFT, rotator/Doppler controls and frequency settings.
Configuration
Web setup pages cover network, station details, satellite selection, Doppler parameters, rotator calibration and AOS notifications.
AOS Alerts
In addition to email alerts, the SatBox AOS Alert Android app can sound an alarm before AOS. The phone and SatBox must be on the same LAN for this app feature.
QSO Logging
Satellite QSOs can be entered and searched from the web console, with ADIF and local database storage. The source article also describes uploads to LoTW, Club Log and eQSL; it notes that logging support is currently Windows-only.
Development Status and Notes
SatBox is under development. Features, supported radios, screens and specifications may change. The referenced article does not specify a price or delivery date, so none is listed here.