Unlock the Skies with Discovery Drive: Affordable Automatic Satellite Tracking
Hey Radio Enthusiasts,
Have you ever wanted to explore the vast world of satellite signals but felt intimidated by complex and expensive equipment? Well, get ready to change that! KrakenRF Inc. Discovery Drive is going to be a game-changer for anyone looking to unlock the potential of their satellite dish or directional antenna.
What is Discovery Drive?
In a nutshell, Discovery Drive is a low-cost, high-quality automatic satellite dish rotator. It’s specifically designed to work seamlessly with the popular Discovery Dish, but its versatility extends to other antennas of similar size and weight, including Wi-Fi grid and Yagi antennas.
Why Do You Need a Motorized Rotator?
Imagine this: you want to capture signals from a polar orbiting weather satellite zipping across the sky. Without a rotator, you’re constantly making manual adjustments, often missing crucial data. That’s where Discovery Drive will shine!
- Track Fast-Moving Satellites: With Discovery Drive, you can precisely track rapidly moving polar orbiting satellites. Think NOAA POES, METEOR-M2, METOP, and FENGYUN – these are just a few of the fascinating weather satellites you can monitor. Depending on your location, you might even discover other intriguing satellites that transmit data over specific regions!
- Effortless Geostationary Switching: Tired of manually realigning your dish to switch between geostationary satellites? Discovery Drive allows you to switch swiftly and effortlessly, maximizing your signal reception with minimal fuss.
- Amateur Radio Adventures: For our amateur radio operators out there, Discovery Drive is an excellent tool for tracking amateur radio satellites with your Yagi antennas, opening up a whole new world of communication possibilities.
Simple Setup, Powerful Performance
One of the best things about Discovery Drive is its user-friendliness. Forget about wrestling with expensive, separate controllers. Setting up Discovery Drive is a breeze:
- Just connect it to 12V and USB serial (or Wi-Fi) and go! It’s that simple to get started on your satellite tracking journey.
Track the Sky, Map the Galaxy
Discovery Drive empowers you to take control of your satellite and antenna setup, allowing you to:
- Precisely track fast-moving polar orbiting satellites, giving you access to invaluable weather data and more.
- Seamlessly switch between geostationary satellites, optimizing your reception for various broadcasts.
- Explore new avenues in amateur radio, tracking satellites with unprecedented ease.
Discovery Drive: Features & Specifications
Ready to dive into the technical capabilities of Discovery Drive? Here’s a rundown of what makes this rotator a powerful addition to your setup:
- Serious Torque: With up to 125 kgcm (12.25 Nm) of torque, Discovery Drive can handle a variety of antennas with ease.
- Precision Control: Powered by an ESP32 control board, you’ll get impressive accuracy of ± 1.5°.
- Wide Range of Motion:
- Azimuth: A full -360° to +360° range lets you cover every direction.
- Elevation: Elevate your antenna from 0° to 90° for optimal tracking.
- Optimized Speeds:
- Azimuth Speed: 1.5 RPM for quick directional adjustments.
- Elevation Speed: 0.25 RPM for precise elevation changes.
- Flexible Power Options: Easily power Discovery Drive with 12V input, either via a barrel jack or USB Type-C Power Delivery.
- Seamless Connectivity:
- Wi-Fi connectivity with an intuitive browser-based web UI for easy control.
- Serial over USB or Wi-Fi for data connectivity.
- Efficient Power Use: With a low power draw of less than 10W, you can even power it with PoE+ supplies and still have enough juice left over for a single-board computer and an RTL-SDR.
- Built to Last: Featuring robust worm gear-locked output drives, Discovery Drive is designed for durability and stability.
- Broad Software Compatibility:
- Direct rotctl compatibility over Wi-Fi means it works with popular programs like SatDump, GPredict, and Look4Sat on Android.
- Hamlib compatibility (EasyComm II protocol) for integration with various amateur radio software.
- Outdoor Ready: Housed in a waterproof outdoor enclosure, Discovery Drive is built to withstand the elements.
- Open Source: We believe in transparency and community! All of Discovery Drive’s ESP32 firmware is open source and readily available on the Discovery Drive GitHub page.
Discovery Drive offers the features you need for reliable and precise antenna control, all in a robust and user-friendly package. Head on over to the KrakenRF page and sign up for project updates!
