Build Your Own Satellite Ground Station

kavachameleon writes "A site called Hobby Space has this article at which there are instructions on how you can build your own satellite weather station! Something I think all of us have wanted to do at one point or another, this site tells us all how to "hack" into the weather satellites and get back usable pictures using our PCs and an AM antenna. There are more instructions for getting geostationary images."

Comments

Cabin Fever

[The_Rippa]

Fantastic! Now even when Weather.com is down I can still see what the weather is like without having to expose by pasty white skin to the elements.

Re:Cabin Fever

[SuDZ]

Carefull, it's dangerous out there. You know, past the front door.

SuDZ

Re:Cabin Fever

[SquadBoy]

There are bears, bunnies, orcs, vampires and other dangers. The only real answer is to go out heavily armed and frag anything that moves before they can get you. Good advice my friend good advice.

Re:Cabin Fever

[Anonvmous Coward]

"Fantastic! Now even when Weather.com is down I can still see what the weather is like without having to expose by pasty white skin to the elements."

Oh geez, don't you guys study history? There are several ancient civilizations that had very simple devices for determining the weather without actually having to go outside. All you need is a piece of glass, a rock, a hole in a wall (preferably leading to the exterior of your house), and a piece of glass to fill that hole and prevent everything but light from getting in.

Hang the rock outside of this piece of glass using a string so that it's visible by peering through the hole. Installation's complete!

That rock provides all kinds of scientific data you can use:

- If the rock is bright, it's day.
- If the rock is dark, it's night.
- If the rock is wet, it's raining.
- If the rock is white, it's snowing.
- If the rock is shaking, there's an earthquake.
- If the rock is swinging, it's windy outside.
- If the rock is swinging and wet, it's a hurricane.
- If the rock is gone, don't open the door.

Pff who needs fancy schmancy satellites?

Echelon

[Jedi Holocron]

Now that you've "hacked" a weather satellite, how long till Ashcroft and Co. deem you an enemy combatant?

You should have just turned to The Weather Channel on digital cable when the site was unavailable. ;-)

"I am not a number!" - Number Six, The Prisoner

While you're at it...

[Valiss]

Along the same lines, a bunch of rich geeks over at SpaceX are building a rocket to go to space. Who needs NASA when you have a huge chunk o cash? Combine these two projects and you can start your very own space program!

Screw that..

[grub]

Hacking weather satellites is lame. I want to hack the secret Illuminati Weather Machines and Plate Tectonic Control Grid...

Damn... where's my tinfoil hat>

Re:Screw that..

[drinkypoo]

If you had worn your tinfoil hat in the first place, the orbital mind control lasers wouldn't have been able to erase your knowledge of its location.

OMCL: We know what's on your mind - we put it there!

Among Other Things

[Davis Bacon]

...you can build your own satellite weather station! Something I think all of us have wanted to do at one point or another...

Things I want to do this weekend:

1) Clean the barbeque grill
2) Vacuum the living room
3) Build a weather satellite station

any porn of these satelittes?

[Anonymous Coward]

otherwise I don't see the point.

OK...

[TaranRampersad]

Now will someone post how I can build my own satellite and get it into orbit? :)

Re:OK...

[JDWTopGuy]

6) learn how to spell "satellite"

And the obligatory:
In soviet russia, satellites launch YOU!

What good is this??

[4/3PI*R^3]

Even if I did build my evil master "weather" satellite station, the Dept. of Homeland Security would prevent me from launching my evil master "weather" satellite.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/02/20/131825 9&mode=thread&tid=159

Re:What good is this??

[4/3PI*R^3]

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

My plan of subtle diversion and subterfuge has been detected. Come Pinky we must prepare for tommorow

What are we doing tomorrow, Brain?

The same thing we do every day Pinky, try to take over the world.

oh, the irony.

[mshultz]

From the article....

Combined with the bad weather of winter and the short days, the images from home were dark and short...

This is great- it doesn't work if the weather's rotten! how useful for a weather-watching satellite receiver....

I'm in!

[Ratbert42]

...this site tells us all how to "hack" into the weather satellites and get back usable pictures using our PCs and an AM antenna.

Cool. This site tells us all how to "hack" into the TV stations and get back usable video using our televisions and a broad-band antenna.

Re:Hacking Satellites?

[GlassHeart]

Is it really worth hacking a damn weather satellite when you can turn on any news station or hit weather.com

This is just version 1, so it's kinda plain. Version 2 will enable writes, so you can modify the weather through the satellite.

Re:Military

[pyrote]

you can, it's called a 'mirror'. avoided by most computer geeks, due to undesireable side effect, it can be quite effective as a self monitoring device.