Kepler Manager PURPOSE To make downloading of Kepler data from the Space-Track Web site easier. The home page for the Kepler Manager is here: www.satsignal.eu/software/KeplerManager.htm REGISTRATION If you register my WXtrack software at: www.satsignal.eu/software/reg-wxtrack.html a number of extra features in the Kepler Manager become available: - you can run the program with a parameter -AUTO or -START to provide automated, hands-off updates of your Kepler data. - a new menu option in WXtrack (Tools, Kepler Manager) allows you to run the Kepler Manager from within WXtrack (requires WXtrack V3.4.8 or later). - the program can automatically update any multi-set historical data files that you have such as those used by my HRPT Reader program and other software - you can supply a KeplerManager.ini file to enable historical updates for arbitrary satellites. Both the catalog number of the satellite and the file name to be updated are required, and the file must already exist. The program will not create the file. A sample KeplerManager.ini is supplied in the Zip archive. - you can provide a list of your own favourite satellites to be retrieved in addition to the standard bulk catalogs. You won't have to request changes to the Space-Track site and wait for items to be added. WEB SITE This program requires that you have a registered username and password for the Space-Track Web site. To get an account, please visit: www.space-track.org Before entering the username and password into the Kepler Manager, please log into the Space-Track Web site to prove that your username and password are correct. The site may require you to change the password yourself before full access to the site is granted. PC REQUIREMENTS This software is intended for use on a 500MHz or better PC with at least 256MB of memory, running Windows Vista, XP or 2000. Operation under Windows 95, 98, or ME should also be possible but is not supported. INSTALLATION AND USAGE Extract the KeplerManager.exe program from the Zip archive to a folder of your choice. Configuration: On the Setup tab: - select which sets of Kepler data you want - select the file name to save (if not the default) - select the location to store the data on your hard disk With the registered version: - select any individual satellite catalog numbers - select any multi-set historic data to be updated Download tab: - enter your Space-Track username and password - if you connect to the Internet via a proxy server, enter the details Operation: - be sure you are connected to the Internet - press Download - the progress can be viewed in the Progress log window - the two comment lines will be stripped from the Kepler file - a message will appear in the progress window if the number of Keplers found in the file does not match the expected number from the number of lines in the file. See: known issues. USING THE INDIVIDUAL SATELLITE LIST To get the Kepler data for a particular satellite, e.g. FengYun-1D 1 - Download and install the current beta of WXtrack and the Kepler Manager 2 - Run WXtrack and enter the registration code (on the machine where you run run the Kepler Manager). 3 - Run the Kepler Manager once and close it. 4 - Run WXtrack - the Kepler Manager in the Tools list should be enabled. 5 - Run the Kepler Manager and enter the NORAD catalogue number for FY1D (27431) in the Individual Satellite List 6 - Change to the Download tab, and press Download. USING THE HISTORIC KEPLER DATA 1 - In the Setup, Save to group, enter the location where you want the historical Kepler data to live. If you are using my HRPT Reader program, a suitable folder might be: C:\HRPT-Reader\Keps\Updates\ 2 - In that folder, create an empty file named according to the satellite you want to be updated. If the empty file (or one with Kepler data) is not present, the corresponding satellite will be skipped. The file names are: fy1c.txt, fy1d.txt noaa-12.txt, noaa-14.txt, noaa-15.txt, noaa-16.txt, noaa-17.txt To create an empty file, use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder, right-click on the folder pane of the Windows Explorer display, and use the the New, Text Document menu item. 3 - Check the boxes of the satellites you want updated in the "Update historic data" check list. 4 - Change to the Download tab, and press Download. USING KeplerManager.ini KeplerManager.ini is a standard .INI file which lives in the same folder as KeplerManager.exe. The file provides on function - to allow you to add to the historical Kepler data in the registered version of the program, by suppling a NORAD catalog number and the file name to contain the multi-entry two-line data sets. As with the other historical data, you will need to "seed" the data by providing a blank data file. A sample data file might contain: [Historic] 25730=FY1C.txt 27431=FY1D.txt 25544=ISS-Zarya.txt although in this case, the program itself also provides these satellites as ones which could be automatically updated. You can enter any valid NORAD catalog number and file name - you are responsible for getting the entries correct. SCHEDULING REGULAR UPDATES Scheduling the Kepler Manager (registered version): Suppose your Kepler Manager lives in the folder C:\Kepler-Manager\, and the HRPT Reader in C:\HRPT-reader\. 1 Configure the Kepler manager so that the "Save historic Kepler data to folder" points to C:\HRPT-reader\Keps\Updates\ 2 Check the boxes of the satellites you want updates for. You can also add these with the file KeplerManager.ini. 3 In Windows XP, Start, Control Panel, Scheduled tasks. 4 Click Add Scheduled Task. Click Next. 5 Wait while the list of programs is populated. Click Browse. 6 Locate the file: C:\Kepler-Manager\KeplerManager.exe, and click Open. 7 Name the task "Update Keplers" or whatever you prefer 8 Click to perform this task weekly, and press Next 9 Select a Start time, e.g. 04:07 if your computer is on overnight. 10 Select the day of the week - e.g. Monday, and press Next 11 Enter a user name and password to run the task. Press Next. 12 Check the box to open the "advanced properties" for the task, and press Finish. 13 On the Advanced settings dialog, add -AUTO as the parameter after the name of the program itself. Thus the full line in the "Run:" box might be: "C:\Program Files\AVHRR\KeplerManager.exe" -AUTO 14 On the Advanced settings dialog, select: Schedule, Show multiple schedules. 15 - Add a new shcedule for another day - e.g. Thursday. I find that twice a week is about right, but you can make your own judgement. GETTING THE MOST RECENT KEPLER DATA One oddity I've noticed is that the individual satellite data - where you enter the catalog numbers into the list - sometimes have more recent Kepler data than the combined lists. So, for example, if you want the most recent data for NOAA-18, enter its catalog number (28654) into the list rather than just relying on it being present in the weather group. ZIP ARCHIVE CONTENTS If you do not already have any of my software, please install the Software, Runtime Library Bundle from the site listed below. Missing DLLs will be identified by an error message from Windows when you try to run the program. COMMAND-LINE PARAMETERS With the registered version of the program (i.e. WXtrack registered users): -AUTO runs the program automatically to download the data, and closes the program after use. This is intended to allow you to make a batch job (.BAT or .CMD file) to schedule downloads on a regular basis -DIAL forces the program to dial up the Internet if it is not connected. When using -DIAL and -AUTO together the program will hang-up the Internet connection when exiting. KNOWN ISSUES When the expected Keplers differ, the numbers are as follows: - satellites: the number of lines in the Kepler data file divided by three. As each element set should comprise a satellite name, line 1 of the data and line 2 of the data, the "satellites" figure should be the number of satellites in the downloaded data. - unique names: the result of loading the file into a list where each three- line data set is analysed, just as if the satellite data file were being loaded into WXtrack, for example. At present, I see discrepancies in the geosynchronous data (apparent 632, actual 561), and John Willis has seen a discrepancy in the FullCatalog data (apparent 8493, actual 3117). The cause of these differences is still being investigated, but one possibility is that the data files contains multiple objects with the same name but different catalog numbers. The data file will be correctly saved, but may give unexpected results with some software which relies on the name being unique. LIMITATIONS The user of the program is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of any data produced by the program. Data downloaded by the program amy not be passed onto any third party without the appropriate permissions. Use of this program in a for-profit environment or by any commercial or industrial organisation, or by a National Institution (e.g. National Weather Service) requires registration. You can register my WXtrack software at: www.satsignal.eu/software/reg-wxtrack.html WARRANTY This program is provided "as is" and without any warranty as to merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or any other warranties either expressed or implied. The author will not be liable for data loss, damages, loss of profits or any other kind of loss while using or misusing this software. This software may not be used in safety-critical or life-critical systems. RELEASE INFORMATION V1.0.2 2005 Jan 12 First public beta version V1.0.4 2005 Jan 13 Allow individual choice of file name Add MyFavourites list(for registered WXtrack users) Handle some basic errors V1.0.6 2005 Jan 17 Add update of multi-set historic Keplers Allow connection through proxy Accept -AUTO as parameter (for registered WXtrack users) Warn user if the Internet is not currently connected Provide timeout on error messages V1.0.8 2005 Jan 20 Allow -DIAL as command-line parameter.. .. forces dial-up connection if required .. disconnects after -AUTO run Integrate with WXtrack (registered WXtrack users) Offer to dial-up if not connected V1.1.0 2005 Feb 03 First released version Allow historic Kepler data to be anywhere .. .. note that seed file (e.g. noaa-17.txt) is required V1.1.2 2005 Feb 15 Add ISS to historic Kepler data .. .. file name is: ISS-zarya.txt (on CelesTrak, this is zarya.txt) V1.1.4 2005 Feb 23 Minor text update V1.2.0 2005 May 02 Accept KeplerManager.ini as source for historic Kepler request V1.2.2 2005 May 20 Add NOAA-18 support V1.2.4 2006 Apr 13 Use country-independant update epoch check (historic) Change internal save format for Favourites list Add authenticated proxy support (not tested) Release V1.2.6.34 V1.2.6 2006 Aug 18 Change default location to Screen Centre (for multi-monitors) Release V1.2.8.35 V1.2.8 2006 Oct 20 Add MetOp-A support Release V1.3.0.36 V1.3.0 2008 Apr 26 Accept -START for auto-running, as well as -AUTO Release V1.3.2.37 V1.3.2 2009 Feb 16 Add NOAA-19 support CONTACTING THE AUTHOR Web site: www.satsignal.eu E-mail: davidtaylor@writeme.com 2009 Feb 16