A Global Data
Telemetry and Geo-positioning Services Company
for North America
1. We would appreciate a description of your service including the hardware, power requirements,
cost, and how our buoy's position data will be delivered to us.
To use the Argos system you need to complete and submit an
Argos System Use Agreement and the
Technical Information
form. Once this Agreement is approved (approval time is approximately 3-4 weeks) you
will receive your Platform
Terminal Transmitter (PTT) ID number. This is an identifying number that the manufacturer
needs to build your transmitter;
check the list of Argos certified
manufacturers. The manufacturer needs to be
contacted regarding details and costs associated with the transmitter.
Besides the cost for a transmitter there are other costs associated with
deploying a transmitter (PTT). There is a Joint Tariff Agreement
(JTA) charge for usage of the satellite time. For USA users, please visit the JTA web site
at: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/argos
for details. On the web site is a JTA Requirement Worksheet which you will need to complete, and submit to
Steve Auer, who is the US Representative of Country, by fax, e-mail, or
regular mail. This type of notification is needed to recognize you as an
Argos user. You should also send an e-mail to Steve with the pertinent details about your program. His e-mail address is
stephen.auer@noaa.gov.
After reviewing the JTA website if you still have questions about the JTA
pricing, please contact Steve. There is also low
pricing available for obtaining your data. For a list of prices of our
additional services you may download our catalog of services and
products. Another link that is very useful in learning how the Argos System works is the
Argos User Manual.
2. Satellite Pass
Prediction
JPass 2.0
We have been using JPass 1.0 to run satellite pass predictions. Under the same website, they have a 2.0 version
running now. It is a more detailed version, and allows you to select more than one satellite at a time. You can even have the satellite pass predictions emailed to you. The site has instructions on how to run this version, but
here some general instructions.
Once you are at the website, you will need to select several options before running the program. At the top of the page, there are several "buttons" you will click to set the options.
Under Location, enter the latitude and longitude of the location you want. Make sure that the time zone is set correctly.
Under Control, select:
Satellites: custom
Search criteria: custom
Start from: today (or for which period you need the predicts)
Under Satellite, select:
Select method: manual select
Visual magnitude: no limit
Where you have the choice of satellites, select NOAA12, NOAA14,
NOAA15, NOAA16 and NOAA17. Then, click add, to put them in the list.
Under Search, select:
Min elevation: 5
Min lit duration: none
Times of day: mark all (dawn, daylight, dusk, night)
Under Settings, mark:
Labels
AM/PM
Now all the settings are defined, and you are ready to run the
program. Go back to the Control button, and Click on start.
You will receive a small window that shows all the satellites with the different passes marked. Click on any of the green/pink bars (they designate a satellite pass) to bring up a small window with a sky chart. On the sky chart, you may click next or previous pass to see the different times of the satellite passes.
4. How
do I request additional ID numbers for my program?
In order to request additional ID
numbers for your program, you need to complete the Additional
ID form. Send the completed form to the Department of User
Services (DUS@argosinc.com).
5. Which satellites are
included in the Argos System?
The following satellites carry the
Argos instrument onboard:
NOAA-16 (L) and NOAA-17 (M) are the two
operational satellites. If you subscribe to standard satellite service,
you will receive data from these two satellites. If you subscribe to
multi-satellite service, you will receive data from all 6 satellites.
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Welcome to Service Argos, Inc. 