18 Feb
2020
18 Feb
'20
6:20 p.m.
Hi,
Oddly enough, the orbit that began around 18:08 UTC (at least for FN41 in New England) was silent for most of the pass (as in no telemetry).
Around 18:12:40, when the bird was almost at the point of closest approach I heard the beacon turn on, send out perhaps a frame or two, then some sync tones, then the beacon went away. I did listen to the inverting repeater band to see if I heard anyone using the transponder, and it was quiet.
I am assuming someone is commanding the bird from the ground and doing some testing, but it was real odd not to have the beacon on for this pass. What frames I've decoded today are already in the data warehouse.
73, Bob, WB4SON