What is oscarwatch-tracker?

fanmingming/oscarwatch-tracker — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2026-06-04

Audience · generalComplexity · 3/5MaintainedSetup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Tracks satellites
      Predicts pass times
      Calculates Doppler shift
    Hardware control
      Aims antennas
      Tunes radios
      Serial connections
    Use cases
      Field day planning
      Coordinate contacts
      Record audio passes
    Audience
      Ham radio operators
      Satellite comms hobbyists
    Platform
      Windows Mac Linux
      Pre-built apps

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Tracks satellites Predicts pass times Calculates Doppler shift Hardware control Aims antennas Tunes radios Serial connections Use cases Field day planning Coordinate contacts Record audio passes Audience Ham radio operators Satellite comms hobbyists Platform Windows Mac Linux Pre-built apps

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Track satellites and predict when they pass over your location for ham radio contacts.

USE CASE 2

Automatically aim your antenna and adjust radio frequencies during a satellite pass.

USE CASE 3

Export satellite pass schedules to your calendar for field day planning.

USE CASE 4

Coordinate a satellite contact with a friend in another city using the mutual pass finder.

What is it built with?

Desktop appTLE orbital dataSerial connectionsWorld mapSky plot

How does it compare?

	fanmingming/oscarwatch-tracker	0verflowme/alarm-clock	0xhassaan/nn-from-scratch
Stars	—	—	0
Language	—	CSS	Python
Last pushed	2026-06-04	2022-10-03	—
Maintenance	Maintained	Dormant	—
Setup difficulty	moderate	easy	moderate
Complexity	3/5	2/5	4/5
Audience	general	vibe coder	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

You need to enter your geographic location and optionally configure serial connections for compatible radio and antenna rotator hardware.

The explanation does not mention a license, so the terms of use are unclear.

So what is it?

OscarWatch is a desktop app for amateur radio operators who want to track satellites. It shows you exactly where various amateur radio spacecraft are in the sky, predicts when they will pass over your location, and calculates the radio frequencies you need to use. If you have compatible hardware, it can even automatically aim your antenna and adjust your radio for you during a pass, letting you focus on making the contact. The software works by downloading orbital data (called TLEs) from a public database to figure out where each satellite is and where it is heading. It displays this on a world map and a sky plot from your specific location. As a satellite moves, the app continuously calculates the "Doppler effect", the shift in radio frequencies caused by the satellite's speed, and adjusts your uplink and downlink frequencies accordingly. You can also scrub through time on the map to preview where footprints will be, while hardware tracking stays on live time. This tool is designed for licensed ham radio operators who already understand the basics of satellite communication, like pass times, azimuth, elevation, and Doppler shift. It is ideal for someone trying to work FM cubesats like the ISS or linear transponder satellites like RS-44. For example, if you are preparing for a field day, you could use the pass planner to export satellite schedules to your calendar, or use the mutual pass finder to coordinate a contact with a friend in another city. What makes this project notable is its focus on optional, hands-on hardware integration. Beyond just showing a map, it can directly control specific radio models (like ICOM or Yaesu rigs) and antenna rotators (like Yaesu or EasyComm controllers) via serial connections. It also includes quality-of-life features like voice announcements that tell you when a satellite is rising, automatic audio recording of your passes, and syncing with Cloudlog. The project is actively developed, and users do not need any programming skills to download and run the pre-built apps on Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I want to track the ISS and other amateur radio satellites from my location. How do I install and set up OscarWatch on my computer?

Prompt 2

I have a Yaesu rotator and an ICOM radio. How do I connect them to OscarWatch so it can automatically aim my antenna and tune my radio during a satellite pass?

Prompt 3

Help me use the pass planner in OscarWatch to export upcoming satellite pass schedules to my calendar for a field day event.

Prompt 4

I want to coordinate a satellite contact with a friend in another city. How do I use the mutual pass finder in OscarWatch to find overlapping pass times?

Prompt 5

How do I set up OscarWatch to record audio of my satellite passes and sync my contacts with Cloudlog?

Frequently asked questions