Search results for: meteor m1

Meteor M2 is Currently Experiencing Orientation Issues

Russian weather satellite Meteor M2 is a popular reception target for RTL-SDR radio enthusiasts, as it allows you to receive high resolution images of the Earth. However, currently it appears to be exhibiting orientation issues, causing off center and skewed images and sometimes poor/no reception. Russian blog "aboutspacejornal", writes that the orientation of the satellite can sometimes be restored presumably by a reset command from Earth, but shortly after goes back into uncontrolled rotation.

These sorts of off-axis images were commonly received from the older decommissioned Meteor-M1 satellite, which woke up from the dead in 2015. The resurrection was speculated to be from the batteries shorting out, allowing power to directly flow from the solar panels while in full sunlight. These days Meteor-M1 is no longer transmitting.

Meteor M2 proving the curvature of the earth due to it's orientation issues.
Meteor M2 proving the curvature of the earth due to it's orientation issues.  Image source aboutspacejornal.

Hopefully Meteor-M2 can be fixed, but if not, Meteor M2-2 is due to be launched on July 5 which should also have an LRPT signal that can be received easily with an RTL-SDR. Hopefully the launch is more successful than the November 2017 launch of Meteor M2-1 which unfortunately was a complete loss as it failed to separate from the rocket.

Meteor M-N1 Still Working, Meteor M-N2 Still Down

The Meteor M N-2 is a polar orbiting Russian weather satellite that was launched in July 2014. It transmits with the LRPT protocol which allows us to receive weather satellite images that are of a much higher resolution than the NOAA APT satellites. For a while since the launch RTL-SDR users had a good time receiving beautiful images from Meteor M-N2, but unfortunately since late last year the N2 LRPT transmitter has been turned off, due to technical problems with the IR sensors as cited by Russian meteorologists.

Fortunately for Meteor N2 enthusiasts the old Meteor M N1 satellite which was thought to be dead sprung back into life around November 2015. Recently Matthew A., a reader of our blog wrote in to let us know that while N2 is still not transmitting, N1 is still transmitting, albeit with somewhat distorted images. Matthew also mentions this link: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phqfh1/status.htm, which contains up to date info on the status of all weather satellites. He also writes: 

  • While transmissions are readily detectable and decodable at night, it seems that M N-1’s infrared sensors are not functioning. Yielding only black, with the typical noise bars of Red, Green, or Blue
  • As has been previously mentioned, Meteor MN-1’s stabilization system has obviously failed, and the horizon is clearly visible. Perhaps not of scientific value, but certainly beautiful. 

We also note that there are several comments over on the Meteor-M N2 news and support website regarding receiving images from N1 and N2. It seems that sometimes N1 also has some problems with transmission, but they are usually quickly fixed.

Meteor M-N1 Image Received by Matthew
Meteor M-N1 Image Received by Matthew
 

Meteor M-N1 Satellite Wakes up from the Dead

RTL-SDR.com reader Happysat recently wrote in with some news. A few days ago a weather satellite image decoding enthusiast from Argentina was waiting for a pass of the Russian Meteor M-N2 satellite when he discovered a strong LRPT signal at 137.1 MHz, even though the Meteor M-N2 satellite was not in sight yet. It turns out that the signal was coming from the old Meteor M-N1 satellite which was supposed to have been shut down in September 2014 due to several problems it had. The received signal is strong enough to produce a good black and white weather image, but because the satellite is not longer physically stable, sometimes the Earth’s curve can be seen in the images.

Recent images received from the resurrected Meteor M-N1 weather satellite.
Recent images received from the resurrected Meteor M-N1 weather satellite.
Recent images received from the resurrected Meteor M-N1 weather satellite.
Recent images received from the resurrected Meteor M-N1 weather satellite. The stabilization system has failed so the earth’s curve can be seen.

The exact reason as to why it is transmitting again is unknown, but it is speculated that it is due to a breakdown of the chemicals in the batteries. Last year we posted about how sometimes satellites which have been decommissioned and shut down can spontaneously begin transmitting again when their batteries undergo a chemical change due to thousands of failed recharge cycles. The chemical change allows the batteries to conduct electricity from the solar panels directly to the electronics, which on Meteor M-N1 could be reactivating the transmitters and imaging sensors. If this is what happened then the satellite will only be able to transmit during the day.

The Meteor M-N2 satellite is the currently official active satellite. It transmits weather satellite images with the LRPT protocol which can be received and decoded with an RTL-SDR dongle. We have a previous post on this showing an offline LRPT decoding tutorial and more recently a tutorial showing how to decode LRPT in real time. The same processes can now be adapted to the resurrected Meteor M-N1 satellite by choosing the 80K symbol rate option in the LRPT decoder.

Happysat who submitted this news originally writes:

A few days ago some guy in Argentina was waiting for the pass of Meteor M-N2 and on SDRSharp waterfall he did see LRPT Digital signals on 137.100MHz, but Meteor M-N2 was not in sight yet…

This relatively strong signal was coming from the defunct Meteor M-N1 satellite left out of control in September 2014 last year and was shutdown, although LRPT Transmissions in the past where very limited and sporadic.

Meteor M-N1 did suffer from many problems at this was the first Russian digital weather satellite in the M-series onboard many hardware in experimental stages.

After this report I tried also to capture some signals from Meteor M-N1 (some other amateurs already got small portions of images) but the satellite only transmits in direct sunlight, batteries are not charging any more.

Indicating maybe like the other older ‘deadsat’ some chemical reaction did occur inside the batteries so the power goes from the solar panels directly to the transmission parts.
It did happen before, mostly on older satellite’s only a unmodulated carrier is present when the sunlight conditions are optimal.

Surprisingly after I did record and process the 80K symbol rate QPSK signal from Meteor M-N1 with Vasili’s excellent QPSK Plugin a very nice image was generated!

Not only the sunlight provides power to the transmission part but also there is enough power to activate the imaging system which is quite amazing!

Visible channels 1-2-3 are fully working but the image is only Black and White Calibaration of the sensor are not okay so no color images can be created.

Nevertheless its a very nice addition for current LRPT weather amateurs and a big surprise its even working better when nobody controls it 😉

Because the stabilisation system failed there is no proper correction to orientate the camera and on some passes one can see the earths curve!

There are some conflicting reports about the status of Meteor M-N1 found on the internet:

Status Inactive
Details on Status (as available)

  • MSU-MR was functional with limitations (calibration issues and higher noise level in the IR channels).
  • MTVZA-GY instrument was functional with limitations due to failures of on-board memory and atmospheric sounding channels.
  • Severjanin instrument non-operational.
  • DCS was functional with limitations due to interferences to signals from ground sources.
  • GGAK-M was operational with significant limitations.
  • LRPT was functional with limitations due to information compression errors.
  • Finally, the stabilisation system failed on 23 September 2014 and the instruments could longer be operated.

On October 1, 2014 Meteor-M No 1 was withdrawn from operational use and transferred to the study of the chief designer. The decision on further operation of the spacecraft will be taken upon completion of the research program.

Its not clear the problems did got solved, and I ‘think’ M-N1 started a second life on his own. Time will tell how long the satelitte will function.

Some details:

https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/m/meteor-m-1

http://planet.iitp.ru/english/spacecraft/meteor-m-n1_eng.htm

The Meteor M-N1 Satellite.
The Meteor M-N1 Satellite.
A color image received on Meteor M-N1. Colors may not be perfect. Submitted by Jan.
A color image received on Meteor M-N1. Colors may not be perfect. Submitted by Jan.

YouTube video showing Meteor-M2 being decoded in real time

Yesterday we posted about a tutorial showing how to decode Meteor-M2 LRPT weather satellite images in real time with a new QPSK decoder plugin for SDR# and a modified version of Lrptdecoder. 

Over on YouTube user max30max31 (a.k.a IZ5RZR) has uploaded a video showing some of the steps in the tutorial as well as the real time result of decoding of the weather satellite image.

IZ5RZR - decode METEOR M2 satellite in realtime

RTL-SDR Tutorial: Decoding Meteor-M2 Weather Satellite Images in Real-Time with an RTL-SDR

Update 02 August 2019: Please use Happysats tutorial which is available here. Happysats tutorial will work for Meteor M-N2-1 and Meteor M-N2-2.

Back in September last year we posted a tutorial written by RTL-SDR.com reader Happysat which showed how to receive and decode high resolution Meteor-M2 LRPT satellite images. The tutorial required several offline manual processing steps to be performed and therefore could not decode the image in real time.

Now Vasili, a SDR# plugins programmer, and Oleg who is the coder of Lrptdecoder have combined ideas to create a new QPSK demodulator plugin for SDR# that allows the real time reception and decoding of Meteor-M2 LRPT images (in Russian use Google translate). The demodulator also offers the advantage of faster and longer signal locking, and also works much better with weak signals compared to the old method. 

At the same time Vasili has also released another plugin called DDE Tracker which allows a satellite tracking program such as Orbitron to interface with and control SDR#. The plugin can be downloaded on the same page as the QPSK plugin. This is similar to the already existing DDE plugins, but now also comes with a scheduler which allows users to automatically schedule recordings of Meteor-M2 and NOAA satellite passings.

NOTE: Meteor M1 has come alive again, so the frequency of Meteor M2 was changed from 137.1 MHz to 137.9 MHz. Meteor M1 is now at 137.1 MHz and can be received using the same steps as in this tutorial, though please note that images from Meteor M1 are not perfect since the satellite is tumbling. Meteor M1 is gone again.

Tutorial

To help users get set up with this new method, Happysat has again come forth with another tutorial which can be downloaded here (.pdf) (.docx) (.txt w/ images in .rar). At first glance the tutorial may seem more complicated than the old method, but in the end it is a much faster and more efficient way at decoding LRPT images. The basic steps involve setting up Orbitron and the DDE plugin to automatically track the Meteor-M2 LRPT satellite and signal, and then setting up the QPSK plugin and the new version of Lrptdecoder (if that link is down, try this mirror) to talk to one another in real time via a local TCP connection.

Real time decoding of Meteor-M2 with two new SDR# Plugins.
Real time decoding of Meteor-M2 with two new SDR# Plugins.
QPSK Decoder SDR# Plugin
QPSK Demodulator SDR# Plugin
DDE Orbitron Interface SDR# Plugin.
DDE Orbitron Interface SDR# Plugin.

AMIGOS

One more Meteor-M2 related thing to look forward to in the future is the AMIGOS project which stands for Amateur Meteor Images Global Observation System. This will be a system where users around the world can contribute LRPT images through the internet to create a worldwide LRPT receiver. Oleg of LrptDecoder writes:

There is an idea to merge LRPT receive amateur radio stations in a network through the Internet and create a super LRPT receiver.

I see the benefit of professionals from the control center in the operational monitoring of the condition of the equipment MSU-MR, and for fans of the fullest reception of images from Meteor-M.

All is in testing phase and need some setup for the servers,  data is beeing shared thru a VPN connection to a central server which will have a continous flow of images from all over the world.

Users can join and share in realtime the data more info on:
http://meteor.robonuka.ru/for-experts/amigos/

What is Meteor-M2?

If you don't understand what all this is about: The Meteor-M N2 is a polar orbiting Russian weather satellite that was launched on July 8, 2014. Its main missions are weather forecasting, climate change monitoring, sea water monitoring/forecasting and space weather analysis/prediction.

The satellite is currently active with a Low Resolution Picture Transmission (LRPT) signal which broadcasts live weather satellite images, similar to the APT images produced by the NOAA satellites. LRPT images are however much better as they are transmitted as a digital signal with an image resolution 12 times greater than the aging analog NOAA APT signals. Some example Meteor weather images can be found on this page and the satellite can be tracked in Orbitron or online.

A software defined radio such as the low cost RTL-SDR, or the higher end Airspy and Funcube dongles can be used to receive these signals.

An Example LRPT Image Received with an RTL-SDR from the Meteor-2 M2.
An Example LRPT Image Received with an RTL-SDR from the Meteor-2 M2.

Updates

The DDE plugin can also be used for tracking NOAA satellites. Some people have been having trouble with set up. Happysat writes a solution:

Download TLE from: http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/noaa.txt. Make sure the names are the same in DDE Sat Tracking Client schedule. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/124465398/NOAA_Setup.jpg. Same one as i post in the howto - https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/124465398/DDESchedule.rar

A Faster Method for Decoding Meteor M2 Weather Satellite Images

Over on YouTube user max30max31 aka IZ5RZR has uploaded a video that shows a faster method for decoding Meteor M2 weather satellite images on a Windows system.  The Meteor-M N2 is a Russian weather satellite that transmits images using the LRPT protocol at around 137.1 MHz with can be received with an RTL-SDR. Compared to NOAA satellite APT images, LRPT images are much higher in resolution.

Normally, decoding Meteor M2 LRPT images requires a post processing step which involves the use of Audacity, an audio editing suite to reduce the recorded IQ files sample rate. However, with the recently released decimation SDR# drivers the Audacity step can be avoided by using a an appropriate decimation factor (8 at 1.024 MSPS) when recording the LRPT signals IQ data.

Post processing still involves the use of the Lrptrx.exe software, Oleg’s LRPToffLineDecoder to produce the image and SmoothMeteor to remove distortion from the image..

IZ5RZR - Fast decode Meteor M2 satellite - 2015

RTL-SDR Tutorial: Receiving Meteor-M N2 LRPT Weather Satellite Images with an RTL-SDR

Update 02 August 2019: Please use Happysats tutorial which is available here. Happysats tutorial will work for Meteor M-N2-1 and Meteor M-N2-2.

Update 11 May 2015: There is now a real time method for decoding Meteor-M2 LRPT images. Please also check out the new tutorial available here. 

The Meteor-M N2 is a polar orbiting Russian weather satellite that was launched on July 8, 2014. Its main missions are weather forecasting, climate change monitoring, sea water monitoring/forecasting and space weather analysis/prediction.

The satellite is currently active with a Low Resolution Picture Transmission (LRPT) signal which broadcasts live weather satellite images, similar to the APT images produced by the NOAA satellites. LRPT images are however much better as they are transmitted as a digital signal with an image resolution 12 times greater than the aging analog NOAA APT signals. Some example Meteor weather images can be found on this page and the satellite can be tracked in Orbitron or online.

The RTL-SDR and other SDRs like the Funcube along with some free software can be used to receive and decode these images. LRPT images from the Meteor-M N2 are transmitted at around 137.925 MHz, so any satellite antenna like those commonly used with the NOAA weather satellites can be used.

NOTE: Meteor M1 has come alive, (now offline again), so the frequency of Meteor M2 was changed from 137.1 MHz to 137.9 MHz. Meteor M1 is now at 137.1 MHz and can be received using the same steps as in this tutorial, though please note that images from Meteor M1 are not perfect since the satellite is tumbling.

Happysat, a satellite monitoring enthusiast has emailed us with a comprehensive tutorial showing how the RTL-SDR can be used to receive and decode these LRPT images (pdf warning) (txt file). The procedure is not quite as simple as with the NOAA satellites as it involves first pre-recording the transmission as a baseband I/Q file in SDR#, changing the sample rate in Audacity, processing the file with the Lrptrx.exe software, and then using Oleg's LRPToffLineDecoder (now called M2_LRPT_Decoder) to finally produce the image (in case the link is down for LRPToffLineDecoder/M2_LRPT_Decoder), try mirror here or here).

The tutorial also shows an alternative and faster Linux based method using some GNU Radio scripts, but with the final processing still done with Oleg's decoder in Windows.

The tutorial can be downloaded in PDF form from this link or alternatively in a text file here.

Update: This newer post now shows a slightly faster way for receiving and decoding LRPT images on a Windows PC which does not require the use of Audacity.

Linux Meteor M2 Brief Guide

Check out the new lightweight Meteor M2 demodulator, and the meteor_decoder software.

Basic idea on Linux is to record an IQ wav file using:

rtl_fm -f 137.9M -s 140k -M raw -g <gain> -p <ppm> <output .wav filename>

Then pass the wav file into the Meteor M2 demodulator which will create a soft-QPSK file that can be passed into the meteor_decoder software. This will generate the image file.

The Meteor-M2 Satellite
The Meteor-M2 Satellite
An Example LRPT Image Received with an RTL-SDR from the Meteor-2 M2.
An Example LRPT Image Received with an RTL-SDR from the Meteor-2 M2.
Another Sample LRPT Image
Another Sample LRPT Image
What a LRPT signal looks like in SDR#
What a LRPT signal looks like in SDR#

For a comprehensive book about the RTL-SDR you may be interested in our eBook available on Amazon.

The Hobbyist's Guide to the RTL-SDR: Really Cheap Software Defined radio.

The Best RTL-SDR Posts of 2015

Things are developing fast in the software defined radio and RTL-SDR world. This year we’ve seen some amazing projects and developments occur. Here’s our highlight reel.

January

In January we first heard about Tim Haven’s RTL-SDR based “Driveby” system which he used to try and pinpoint a nasty source of noise in his neighbourhood. The system consisted of multiple RTL-SDR dongles scanning the spectrum and a GPS receiver. Together the system correlated noise power with locations and from the data Tim was able to pinpoint the source of the problem noise to a faulty power pole in his neighbourhood.

William Dillon, a small aircraft pilot and radio enthusiast also gave us an interesting set of videos that not only explained VOR navigation signals, but also showed how to decode them with an RTL-SDR in order to obtain a bearing.

We also heard from RF expert Leif who did a big test comparing several SDR’s on their dynamic range and other factors. The SDR-14 and Airspy SDR’s came out on top in most results.

Finally, near the end of the month Jay Moore wrote up a tutorial showing us how to receive SCA audio, which is a special audio service channel that is embedded into regular broadcast FM as a subcarrier.

February

At the beginning of February Vasilli, a SDR# plugins author released a new SDR# driver for the RTL-SDR that included manual gain control and access to the decimation feature. The decimation feature allows you to zoom in to signals without loosing FFT resolution, it is very useful for browsing HF signals.

Later in the month we saw the release of Artemis a companion program to our Signal Identification Guide sister site sigidwiki.com.

March

In March radio astronomer Jim Brown used an RTL-SDR and ham-it-up upconverter to listen to noise bursts originating from the planet Jupiter.

We also released a tutorial that showed how to measure the characteristics of RF filters and antenna VSWR with just an RTL-SDR dongle, noise source and directional coupler.

In this month we also saw the reduction of the SDRplay RSPs price from $299 down to $149. The SDRplay (and also the Airspy SDR) are software defined radios that can be considered as a next stage “step up” from the RTL-SDR dongles.

Finally, we also posted an interesting article about fingerprinting aircraft using aircraft scatter techniques, which could be done using an RTL-SDR dongle.

April

In April we learned that the FlightAware ADS-B app had started supporting UAT reception on 978 MHz, and we also reviewed Adam’s ADS-B folded monopole antenna.

May

In May we saw a post by amateur radio astronomers EA4EOZ and EB3FRN who showed us that it was possible to determine the radiant (origin point) of meteors showers, using meteor scatter techniques with an RTL-SDR.

Regular contributor to our blog Happysat wrote in and supplied us with a tutorial that showed how to decode LRPT images from Meteor M2 satellites using a new plugin by Vasilli and a new version of the Lrtpdecoder by Oleg.

June

In June on Hackaday Juha Vierinen did a nice write up that showed us how we could build a passive radar system using two RTL-SDR dongles.

We also saw an interesting story by John Wiseman about monitoring FBI aircraft that made headlines around the world on several news sites. Essentially John used ADS-B logs received by his RTL-SDR to discover several aircraft with suspicious flight paths and call signs. These aircraft turned out to probably be “persistent wide-area surveillance” FBI spy planes.

Later in the month we saw how University researchers from Tel Alviv university were able to use a FunCube dongle to extract encryption keys by sniffing unintended emissions from PCs.

July

In July we saw the release of a paper that describes how to use the RTL-SDR to detect meteors entering the earth’s atmosphere. The author also runs a live stream of his RTL-SDR based meteor detecting set up.

August

In August there were many interesting posts, but the very first piece of news was that the very first RTL-SDR manga comic book was released. Out of interest we bought a copy and it turned out to be a short comic book that detailed the installation and basic use of the RTL-SDR.

A light aircraft pilot also wrote in to let us know how some pilots have been using RTL-SDRs and dump978 as a cheap alternative to $500+ FIS-B weather report receivers.

We also released our new upgraded RTL-SDR Blog line of SDR dongles, all of which now include a TCXO and SMA connector by default.

Another story that made headlines on several news sites was Samy Kamkars Def Con conference talk on his RollJam device which can be used to break into almost any car wirelessly.

We released a tutorial that showed how to use the RTL-SDR together with a suitable L-band satellite antenna to decode Inmarsat STD-C EGC messages. The tutorial also showed how a cheap GPS antenna could be modified into a wideband L-band antenna.

We also heard about MIT Haystack Observatory researchers who had been using RTL-SDR to create a low cost ozone spectrometer to perform scientific measurements.

Bastian wrote in to show us how he was able to reverse engineer the bus telemetry signals in his area, and create a live map of all the bus locations in his area.

Finally in August we also heard how researchers at the University College of London were able to use already present WiFi signals and a USRP SDR to actually see through walls (or at least detect people and objects on the other side).

September

In September we discovered how radio astronomers Peter W East and GM Gancio were using RTL-SDR dongles to detect pulsars (rotating neutron stars). 

We also saw how Bastian Bloessl was able to use his RTL-SDR to reverse engineer the protocol used by a set of portable traffic lights used in construction outside his house. He was able to write a short program that displayed the current state of the traffic light on his PC.

September also showed us how easy it is getting to sniff GSM SMS and voice messages from mobile phones (assuming you have the encryption details of the phone you want to sniff).

October

October brought interesting news RF from the Raspberry Pi. Clever coder F5OEO was able to manipulate the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi enough to be able to actually transmit FM, AM, SSB and SSTV signals. Later developments saw a full transceiver built with F5OEO’s software and an RTL-SDR connected to the Pi.

Tatu Peltola created a “phase correlative direction finder” out of three RTL-SDRs and three antennas. With his system he is able to determine the direction of a transmitter.

We also saw how it it will be possible in the near future to use the RTL-SDR to decode DATV DVB-S signals from the ISS.

November

In November the Meteor M1 satellite managed to wake up from the dead, providing satellite image enthusiasts with another weather satellite signal that is receivable by the RTL-SDR.

Researchers at Disney created a very advanced smart watch prototype that could detect with good accuracy the actual (electrical) object the user was touching. The watch uses an RTL-SDR dongle as the RF receiver, and it works by receiving and correlating the electromagnetic emissions given off by electronic devices with a database of known emissions.

December

Finally in the last month of December we saw a new decoder for Inmarsat AERO signals released. AERO is a satellite based version of ACARS which is used by aircraft.

Mario Fillipi wrote in and gave us an interesting article on Ionosondes.

We reviewed the SpyVerter upconverter and determined that it is probably the one with the best performance and best value available for the RTL-SDR.

We also saw that it is now possible to use an RTL-SDR dongle and cheap GPS antenna to receive GPS signals and also acquire a position lock.

2016

2015 was full of interesting SDR developments, only some of which were covered in this post. If you want to read more we suggest going through our previous posts page by page.

No doubt we’ll continue to see more developments in the SDR field this year. We can expect to see new SDR hardware released, updates to existing SDR hardware and more accessories such as downconverters for the RTL-SDR. We can also expect to find new uses for low cost SDRs and to see new software released.

We hope that the readers of this blog will continue to experiment with the RTL-SDR and other SDR’s this year. If you have an interesting SDR related project that you’ve developed or found, please let us know at [email protected]