(29C) Orbital Geometry

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An extract from Satellite Computer for under $150, Ham Radio magazine, MAR 1980 (pgs 12-16)

"The availability of card-reading calculators, such as the Hewlett-Packard 67 and SR-52, has made it possible for satellite users to track OSCAR without so much as using a pencil and paper. Fine programs for both machines have been written and published …
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the calculator
A more realistically priced programmable calculator that can serve the OSCAR community as well as the geosynchronous-satellite enthusiasts is the Hewlett-Packard Model HP-29C …
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the program
Developing an OSCAR program that fits within the 98-step memory limit of the HP-29C demanded a process far removed from the popular memory-gobbling Napier's Rule formulas of expensive calculators. My method requires no discrete trigonometric functions, but depends on the HP-29C's ability to perform rectangular-to-polar coordinate conversions and the reverse operation …
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The methods used in this program should work for any near-circular orbit and any ground-station location. I've successfully used the program for OSCAR 7 and OSCAR 8 on ascending and descending passes. Although I've never worked with the Russian satellites, I feel confident that the program will work as well for them."

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