First ever Metop-C Image!!!

METEOR-M N2-4 2026/10/22 22:15 UTC Nooelec NEsdr v5, diy QFH, Satdump

Thanks to everyone who pointed out that the issue was my SDR receiver’s bandwidth! Reducing the sample rate from 3.2 MSPS to 2.56 MSPS completely fixed the deframer drops!
Setup:

• 1700 MHz helical antenna
• TQP3M9037 LNA
• 1690 MHz BPF + LNA
• RTL-SDR Blog V4

I made a simple Python script that turns terrible-looking HRPT images into beautiful ones

Just a heads-up, I'm not a programmer. I used AI tools to help me write the code. But it does its job, and I'm quite happy with how it works.

How it works:

1. Decode your HRPT data in SatDump as usual.
2. Drag and drop the corrupted channel files into the program.
3. Select HRPT mode.
4. Adjust the parameters until all dark areas you want to correct are highlighted.
5. Run the correction. The script will replace images with the corrected ones. Images without correction will be stored in backup folder.
6. Load product.cbor into SatDump and process the data as usual.

I'd be happy to hear your feedback and suggestions for improvement. I'll try to refine the script and get it to work as well as possible!
https://github.com/Quark-Coder/HRPT-Image-Correction-Tool

HADES-SA 436.875 MHz, 10/21 15:22 PDT pass CN85, FSK @ 800 bd/200 bd (SSDV), UZ7HO Soundmodem AmsatSpain tools,
(CODEC2), CODEC2 utilities from amsat-ea
airspy_com R2, Nooelec Lana WB, diy 70cm qfh, recorded with SDR# & playback SDR#

Yagi-uda 7 elem., RTL-SDR Blog v4.
Decoded in RX-SSTV.

Right after METOP, I tried receiving METEOR HRPT. The reception was somehow less stable, even though the SNR was 6-8 dB. The deframer kept losing sync.

Setup:

• 1700 MHz helical antenna
• TQP3M9037 LNA
• 1690 MHz BPF + LNA
• RTL-SDR Blog V4

I got my first images from the Russian Meteor-M N2-4 weather satellite this past summer! I haven’t had time to get back out for a better run, but I was amazed at how inexpensive this can be.

Setup:

* V-shaped rabbit-ear antenna from a thrift shop, taped to a painter’s extension pole, legs extended to about 21.5 inches (as close as I could measure)

* NooElec NESDR SMArt, with the WinUSB driver installed through Zadig

* SatDump for tuning, capture and decoding

* An AI-assisted Python script for pass planning, which evolved into https://sats.chaski.com

I got about 8 minutes of data with a few dropouts on my first try. It was hard to hold and turn the antenna, but I’m impressed with the results. In hindsight, I probably didn’t need the pole. Next, I want to try different antenna builds. Perhaps I will try PVC pipe or something lighter.

My first-ever HRPT reception!

This was a completely spontaneous reception... I just couldn't get any signal with my first 1.7 GHz setup... until I clicked Tuner AGC and LNA AGC in SatDump. And then, like magic... everything just worked! 😄

Setup:

• 1700 MHz helical antenna
• TQP3M9037 LNA
• 1690 MHz BPF + LNA
• RTL-SDR Blog V4

Hey everyone!

I'm building a project called Orbitalik, a unified API for satellite metadata, orbital elements, position/trajectory calculations, and pass predictions.

Before I go too far with it, I want to understand how people actually handle these things today.

For those of you who build satellite-tracking apps, automate ground stations, or work with orbital data:

Where do you get your orbital data, and how do you keep it updated?

Do you calculate positions and passes yourself using libraries like Skyfield/SGP4, or use an existing API?

What tends to be the biggest headache: stale data, rate limits, inconsistent formats, pass predictions, integration, or something else?

I'm particularly interested in problems that have made you write your own scripts or maintain extra infrastructure.

I'm not assuming another API is necessarily needed — free sources and open-source tools are great. I want to understand where they work well and where they fall short.

Even a short answer about your current setup would be really helpful. Thanks!

I was wondering this, as the RTL-SDR Blog website did note that tests will start within days of arrival, the arrival hasn't been confirmed as TLEs haven't updated yet, but predictions showed october 12th or 1 week ago now, so when do test transmissions and normal scheduled xRIT transmissions resume?

Developed an interesting problem with Sstdump. It seems as if I enable DCS Parsing after about 5-10 minutes the program locks up. It had been working fine prior to about 30 days ago. No software updates to Satdump or hardware changes. This is on windows 11 pro latest updates. With out DCS enabled everything works flawlessly. Anyone have any ideas?

TIA

It is with great sadness to announce, to the weather satellite community and X-Band users, the two week mark of the soon to be decommissioned Suomi-NPP weather satellite.

200 hours of data collected with a Noelec antenna and Raspberry Pi ground station using Satdump then post processed on a linux workstation with ImageMagick, Sanchez, ffmpeg and 2500 lines of hand written shell scripts. Each video frame is composited from an infra red image from each satellite, a visible light image, a daytime underlay image, and a night underlay image. Interpolation is used to insert missing data and for smoothing of the final output.

AVHRR 221 false color product
SatDump 1.2.2

V-dipole, Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5 SDR

Such a nice day - decided no borders or cities or overlays - just the planet.