16 Nov
2008
16 Nov
'08
1:24 p.m.
Mark,
As others have noted, the transponder "constant" is really a variable depending on lots of things, including the temperature of the satellite, the stability of the voltage regulation, the temperature in your shack and equipment, the freshness of your Keps, the accuracy of your position and system clock, etc. On AO-7, FO-29, and VO-52 I can quickly net in the uplink and downlink, and either SATPC32 or HRD will follow the One True Rule and allow you to tune around and work someone AOS to LOS almost as if it were a HF contact. That "constant" is good for an extended period of time, again depending on primarily the health of the spacecraft systems. It is just one of the many characteristics of satellite operations.
Alan WA4SCA