Getting Started

This section walks you through the first-time setup of your SatTracker. Everything happens on the touchscreen — no laptop or phone is required, though a phone can be used for the access-point fallback if you prefer.

Unboxing and First Power-On

What's in the Box

Your SatTracker package should contain:

  • SatTracker device

  • USB-C power cable

Initial Power-Up

  1. Connect the USB-C cable to the SatTracker's USB-C port

  2. Connect the other end to a USB power source (5 V wall adapter, computer, or a quality power bank)

  3. The 7-inch LCD lights up and the world map appears

Note

Use a quality 5 V USB-C power supply rated at 1 A or more. Insufficient power may cause boot loops or display instability.

First Boot Sequence

When SatTracker powers on for the first time:

  1. Display comes up: the world map, pass timeline and detail panel are drawn. Satellite positions are shown straight away from the orbital data built into the firmware.

  2. Time warning: until the clock has been set from the internet, the top bar shows TIME NOT SYNCED and no passes are predicted. Accurate time matters — a clock one second out puts a satellite seven kilometres out of place.

  3. WiFi setup: if no network is saved, the on-screen WiFi Setup panel appears.

The On-Screen WiFi Setup

When no WiFi is configured, a full-screen WiFi Setup panel appears with two ways to get online:

WiFi Setup

No WiFi configured.

Option A  -  Join the hotspot "SatTracker Setup" from a phone/laptop,
then open a browser to set up WiFi.

Option B  -  Scan for a network here on the screen:

[ Scan for networks ]

Most people use Option B and do everything on the screen.

Option B — Set Up WiFi on the Screen

  1. Tap "Scan for networks"

    The device scans for nearby 2.4 GHz networks and shows a Select network list. Each row shows the network name, a WiFi icon, and a padlock if the network is password-protected. The status line shows how many were found (e.g. 6 found, none found, or scan failed - tap Rescan).

    Note

    SatTracker does not support 5 GHz networks. Make sure your router has 2.4 GHz enabled.

  2. Tap your network

    Tap the name of your home or shack WiFi. If your network is hidden, tap Other (enter manually) to type the name yourself.

  3. Enter the details

    A setup panel opens with:

    • Network name (SSID) — pre-filled if you picked it from the scan

    • Password — tap the field and type your WiFi password on the on-screen keyboard

    • Add network button to save

    • Cancel button to back out

  4. Tap "Add network"

    The network is saved and the device begins connecting. Once connected, the setup panel closes.

Option A — Set Up WiFi From a Phone or Laptop

If you'd rather type on a real keyboard, use the access-point fallback:

  1. On your phone or laptop, open WiFi settings and join the open network named SatTracker Setup.

  2. A configuration page should open automatically (captive portal). If it doesn't, open a browser and go to http://192.168.4.1.

  3. Enter your WiFi network name and password in the form and submit.

  4. The page confirms:

    Saved. SatTracker is connecting to your network. This hotspot will close.

  5. The device joins your network and the setup hotspot shuts down.

Note

On some phones you may see a warning that "this network has no internet access." That's expected — the SatTracker Setup hotspot exists only for configuration.

Tip

If the device was previously running other TopBytes firmware (DXSpotter Pro or FlightRadar), the WiFi networks saved by that firmware are imported automatically on first boot, and this step is skipped.

After WiFi Connects

Once SatTracker is online it automatically:

  • Sets its clock over NTP (pool.ntp.org / time.google.com). TIME NOT SYNCED disappears from the top bar.

  • Predicts the next 24 hours of passes for your tracked satellites. The top bar shows PREDICTING... for about ten seconds, then the timeline fills in.

  • Downloads the latest orbital elements from CelesTrak (about 30 seconds after coming online), then once a day.

  • Checks the TopBytes update service for newer firmware.

Setting Your Home Location

All predictions are made for your home location. Out of the box this is a default in London; set your own so that pass times, azimuths and elevations are correct.

  1. Tap the gear icon at the top-right of the screen, then tap LOCATION.

  2. The location page shows your current home, e.g. HOME  51.6458, -0.7083  (IO91pp).

  3. Set it one of two ways:

    • Maidenhead locator — type a 4-, 6- or 8-character grid square (e.g. IO91pp) and tap Set grid. Six characters is accurate to about 5 km, which is plenty for satellite work.

    • Coordinates — type your latitude (−90…90) and longitude (−180…180) in decimal degrees and tap Set coords.

  4. Tap Done. The passes are recalculated for the new location within a few seconds.

Location page

Setting the home location by grid square or coordinates.

Note

If you enter an invalid grid or out-of-range coordinates, the page shows an error (Invalid grid (e.g. IO91wm) or Lat -90..90, Lon -180..180) and keeps your previous location.

Setting Your Timezone

Pass times are shown in local time. Open Settings → TIMEZONE, scroll to your zone and tap SET. Daylight saving time is applied automatically. The big clock in the top bar shows local time with the zone (e.g. BST), and the smaller time beside it is UTC.

Verifying Successful Setup

You'll know setup was successful when:

  • The big clock shows the correct local time, with the zone beside it, and the UTC time next to it is correct

  • Your grid square is shown in the top bar

  • The pass timeline shows coloured bars for upcoming passes

  • The top bar shows NOW with any satellite that is up at the moment, and NEXT with the next good pass and a countdown

If the top bar still shows TIME NOT SYNCED after a few minutes, see Troubleshooting.

What's Next?

Now your SatTracker is set up and running, you can: