FAQ

Quick answers about Sentinel and Guardian — purpose-built situational-awareness tools from Earth Shack Software.

About the Products

What is Sentinel?

Sentinel is a real-time Earth and space situational-awareness display. It shows a full-screen global map with live earthquake data, volcano overlays, tectonic plate boundaries, the day/night grayline, ISS and CSS tracking, two selectable satellites, and location-based weather and alerts. It runs as a single HTML file in any modern browser — no installation, no account, no server.

What is Guardian?

Guardian is a real-time space weather, propagation, and signal-environment situational-awareness dashboard built for operators, communicators, educators, preparedness users, and technical professionals. It provides live NOAA/SWPC data — Kp index, solar flux, solar wind, IMF Bt/Bz, aurora status, D-RAP absorption, particle flux, and radio blackout forecasts — alongside HF band conditions, local reference context, satellite tracking, and a configurable live ticker. Like Sentinel, it runs as a single HTML file with no installation required.

What do QTH and DE mean?

Both products use a local reference location to compute satellite visibility, local context, weather, and related display information. Radio users may refer to this location as QTH or DE station location. If you are not a radio operator, simply treat it as the latitude and longitude of the location you want the product to use as its local reference point.

What happened to EarthView?

EarthView has been renamed to Sentinel. If you purchased EarthView, you own Sentinel. Your original download link remains valid for updates included with your purchase. Free updates are included for one year from your purchase date, within the purchased version track.

Are Sentinel and Guardian the same product?

No. They serve different primary missions. Sentinel centers on Earth awareness — earthquakes, hazards, geophysical context, grayline, and satellite visibility. Guardian centers on the signal environment — space weather, HF propagation, solar indices, geomagnetic activity, and satellite visibility. Both track ISS and CSS. Many users run both.

Getting Started

What are the installation steps?

There is no installation. After purchase:

  1. Download the file from your order confirmation email.
  2. Open the HTML file in a supported browser on your computer.
  3. Enter your local reference location when prompted, or via the settings panel.
  4. Press F11 (or your browser’s full-screen key) to go full-screen.

That’s it. You’re operational in under 60 seconds.

What operating systems are supported?

Both products are browser-based and OS-agnostic. They run on Windows 10+, macOS 11+, and Linux. Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari are supported. Chromium-based browsers are recommended. Keep your browser updated for best results.

What display setup works best?

A dedicated second monitor running full-screen is the ideal setup — both products are designed for continuous, always-on display. 1080p and 4K both work well. Other resolutions may work. Single-monitor use is also fine; press F11 to go full-screen and Alt+Tab to switch between the display and other work.

Data & Connectivity

Is the data real-time?

Both products are designed for near real-time situational awareness. Update intervals vary by data source:

  • Earthquakes: USGS 24-hour GeoJSON feed, refreshed on a regular interval. Source delays can occur.
  • Satellites (ISS, CSS, selectable/custom): Positions computed from orbital elements (TLEs). Both products start with embedded TLEs and upgrade to live CelesTrak data when internet is available.
  • Space weather (Guardian): NOAA/SWPC data refreshed automatically. Refresh intervals are tuned to provider rate limits.
  • HF band conditions (Guardian): Derived heuristically from current solar indices and space-weather data — not a real-time ionospheric model, but a useful at-a-glance orientation.
  • Day/night grayline and clocks: Computed locally on your device. Always current.
  • Weather and alerts: Fetched on a schedule from public weather and alert sources where available. May lag the upstream provider slightly.

Does it work offline?

Yes, with reduced capability. Both products are designed to be resilient when connectivity drops.

Continues working: core display elements, map rendering, grayline, clocks, local reference marker, and satellite propagation using internal models and last-known orbital elements.

Pauses until connectivity returns: new earthquake events, updated space weather data, fresh TLEs, weather, alerts, and custom ticker feeds.

A feed-status indicator in both products shows which data sources are currently fresh, stale, or unavailable.

What data sources are used?

Sentinel uses: USGS (earthquakes and volcano catalog), PB2002 (tectonic plate boundaries), Natural Earth (base map), CelesTrak (orbital elements), MET Norway (weather), and NWS (alerts where available).

Guardian uses: NOAA/SWPC (space weather data — Kp, SFI, solar wind, IMF, aurora, D-RAP, particle flux, radio blackout), CelesTrak (orbital elements), satellite.js (SGP4 orbital propagation), and GIRO as an ionospheric-data reference for MUF/foF2 context.

Full attribution is on the Third-Party Notices & Data Credits page for each product.

License & Updates

What does the license cover?

Each product is a single-user license for one person on one computer at a time. See the full License Agreement (EULA) for details, including restrictions on sharing and redistribution.

How long do I receive free updates?

Product updates are included for one year from your purchase date, within the purchased version track (e.g., Sentinel v1.x, Guardian v1.x). After one year, you continue to use the version you have — it does not stop working. Updates released after your one-year window would require a new purchase.

How do I get updates?

Check your order confirmation email for your download link. When a new version is released within your update window, download the updated file from the same link and replace your existing file. No reinstallation or license transfer is needed.

Can I use both products on the same computer?

Yes. Sentinel and Guardian are separate files. Both can be open in separate browser tabs or windows simultaneously on the same computer under separate licenses.

Guardian-Specific

Is Guardian a replacement for logging software?

No. Guardian is a display and awareness tool. It shows current conditions — space weather, propagation, solar indices, satellite positions, and signal-environment context — but it does not log contacts, interface with radios, or replace station software. It is a second-screen situational display, not a station controller.

What is the HF band conditions table?

Guardian includes an HF band conditions table derived from current solar indices and space-weather data. It provides a band-by-band overview of current conditions — useful for understanding which portions of the HF spectrum may be more or less favorable. Conditions are labeled as estimates based on NOAA/SWPC data. The table is designed for at-a-glance orientation, not precision forecasting.

Can I add my own satellites?

Yes. Guardian supports custom satellite entry by NORAD catalog ID or by pasting a TLE directly. CelesTrak lookup runs automatically when you enter a NORAD ID.

What are the custom ticker feeds?

Guardian includes a configurable ticker that accepts up to 5 public RSS or XML feed URLs. This is useful for operational notes, public bulletins, club or organization announcements, space-weather updates, or any public XML/RSS feed relevant to your display. Feeds load best-effort — some sources may be restricted by CORS or provider policy depending on your browser and network.

Purchase & Support

Is there a refund policy?

Yes. See our Refund Policy for details. If something isn’t working on your setup, contact us first — we’ll help troubleshoot and try to get you running before processing any refund.

Who can purchase?

Sales are currently limited to U.S. customers.

How do I get support?

Use the Contact page. Include your order number, the product name, your browser and operating system, and a description of what you’re seeing. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Do you collect personal data?

Both products request data directly from public APIs in your browser. The applications themselves do not require accounts or logins and do not send your data anywhere. For website and purchase-related privacy details, see our Privacy Policy.