[AMSAT-BB] AO-73 now in transponder mode

AO-73 was commanded back into full time transponder mode earlier today, 3rd Feb 25. The mode U/V linear transponder is now active 24/7 following a period of about a month where we gathered telemetry data on the 11 year old satellite's electrical power system. Although there are some signs of reduced capacity, the two Lithium Ion cells are holding up well and are still capable of sustaining full power transponder operation throughout the orbit. AO-73 carries an inverting SSB/CW transponder, with an nominal uplink passband at 435.150 to 435.130 MHz LSB, and a downlink passband at 145.950 to 145.970 MHz USB. With the transponder active, BPSK telemetry  is transmitted on 145.935 MHz at 40mW AMSAT-UK