The WiNRADiO WSS-420 Weather Satellite System is a complete and fully integrated hardware/software system for capturing and processing data streams from polar orbiting satellites in real time.

The system supports HRPT data streams with 5 multi-spectral channels from NOAA satellites and CHRPT data with 10 channels from the Feng Yun-1D satellite. Data is available immediately after a satellite pass and it can be exported to NOAA Level 1B (HRPT) file format.

The system hardware consists of high-quality components: The dual-axis rotator is a robust unit designed with steel gears for heavy-duty work and extended life, while offering considerable turning and breaking torque. The rotator is driven by a digital control unit, which interfaces with the application software via the computer USB port. The control unit can position the rotator to the desired target position with an accuracy of ±0.5°.

The tripod carrying the rotator and the dish antenna is made from high-quality steel, with telescopic legs independently adjustable for course levelling against inclined mounting surfaces, while the articulated levelling feet allow for fine levelling, even at uneven mounting points. A bull's eye bubble mounted on an upper bracket eases the installation process.

The antenna consists of a 120 cm diameter parabolic steel dish with a tightly integrated prime focussed patch feeder and an attached low-noise downconverter, which translates the 1.7 GHz L-Band frequencies down to 140 MHz.

The receiver is designed to have a compact form factor and fits onto a 2/3 length PCI plug-in card. The front-end employs digital synthesis for frequency control, while data decoding and frame synchronization are done in DSP firmware.

Installation and configuration is made easy by means of a user-friendly software setup wizard which will automatically detect installed and connected hardware. The setup software will also assist with rotator and receiver calibration during initial installation.

The WSS-G420 System Application Software can be operated either manually or in automatic control mode. When set to automatic mode, the system can operate entirely unattended, taking care of tracking and reception scheduling of specified satellites and saving all received image data.

Resulting images can be printed or saved in common image formats. In addition to basic image manipulation, the software provides advanced image processing functions such as RGB false-colour editing of spectral channels, noise reduction and contrast enhancement. Data output can be exported in NOAA Level 1B (HRPT) format.

The optional WR-WSDA-420 Weather Satellite Data Analyser software provides additional sophisticated features and tools, including NOAA Standard Products, Sea Surface Temperature, Land Surface Temperature, map overlays, many types of projections, advanced colour palettes and more.

For a detailed description of all components see