110 Hardware

To use Sattools the following hardware is generally required:

1. Computer with at least an i-3 processor, 2GB of RAM and at least 50GB of free disk space. Also 2 free USB 2.0 ports for connecting camera and mount. Internet connection is also required to retrieve the data and keeping the internal clock on time. It is recommended to have an i-5 processor and 4GB of RAM to run the program smoothly.
2. Steerable telescope mount, eg, Celestron Nexstar is desirable but not mandatory.
3. CCD camera, eg WATEC 902.
4. Video grabber to convert the analog signals from the camera to digital. eg EasyCap

Note 1: There are many fake EasyCap available, which do not always work well with the software. Working EasyCaps are the Renkforce EasyCap USB 2.0 Video Grabber BR116 and ??

Note 2: Hardware #2 is not strictly necessary but if you don't wish to fix your camera it must always be moved manually to the next position. Since there is then no feedback from the mount on the correct position this must also be entered manually during the analysis. A good amount of satellite tracks can be captured each week with a fixed camera always pointing at the same part of the sky.