Self-Learning Step Track System to Point an Antenna at a Geostationary Satellite Using a PC

Geostationary satellites have the unique advantage of having a fixed field of view. However, these satellites inevitably drift from their allotted orbital positions due to several reasons. For example, solar, lunar and non uniform earth gravity and radiation pressures. Large drifts are corrected by the accurate firing of reaction equipment on board of the satellite in order to keep it on station. The uncorrected small drifts can affect the quality of the reception of signals from the satellite. In this paper a computer program is presented which controls the pointing coordinates of the receiving antenna to receive maximum signal strength from the satellite. The program initialise itself after some hours of operation and it recognises "rain events" and period of low intensity showers by a raingauge.