Sun Transit Calculator

Sun transit calculators assist satellite users in minimizing the impact on a satellite link's performance during sun transit. This calculator can be used for any GEO satellite.

To use for XTAR satellites, make the following selections and entries:

  • Select:
    • XTAR-EUR (29.04° East) or
    • XTAR-LANT (aka SpainSat 29.97° West)
  • Select "User Band" and enter 7.7 GHz for X-band
  • Enter all antenna and equipment parameters: size, efficiency, etc.
  • Enter the season and year
  • Select Circular Polarization
  • Select a prediction mode:
    • Outages based on the maximum C/N degradation the user can tolerate
    • Outages based on the time that the sun transits the 3dB beam width of the antenna
  • Enter earth station location (below the map)
    • Full address (street, city, state, zip code), or
    • Latitude/longitude in decimal degrees (use negative sign for South and/or West)

Results will be displayed in a table below the entries. If no results appear, the location may not be in the field of view of the satellite. The results from the table can be copied and pasted into a spreadsheet.