Will there be any other electronics onboard these cubesats, or just the MT-TT4? http://www.byonics.com/microtrak/mt-tt4.php
Our particular cubesat will also have a basic stamp pic processor to do the attitude control to keep it pointed at the sun. But it is not needed for any other function. All of our satellites to date flew with no other CPU or processor on board, other than the TNC itself. Just like this MT-TT4, the KPC3 TNC's we flew before in both PCSATS, ANDE and RAFT have all the functions you need. Comms, command, inputs, outputs, telemetry, beacons, digipeater etc.
And even without attitude control a four petal design like we have as long as there are solar panels on all surfaces and the petals go back 45 degrees, will have at least half the power as if it was sun pointing. http://www.aprs.org/psat.html
Of course we have a 555 timer chip to reset the TNC if it gets locked up.
Bob, WB4APR
On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 1:16 PM, Robert Bruninga [email protected] wrote:
A last comment, a LEO would be virtually worthless for Emergency NET communications and HF is still a viable and reliable means of communications...
Well, I still think a bunch of 145.825 APRS digipeating satellites in LEO that would allow text-messaging from
anywhere
in the world at any time, downlinked into the
APRS-Internet
system and hence global internet connectivity is still a
great
way to go for basic messaging for emergency response.
With just
6 such tiny 4" cubesats, you could get a message
in-or-out with
no more than a half hour wait from the front panel of
your APRS
mobile radio. With a dozen of these, you could have
global
communications anywhere instantly or with no more than a
5
minute wait.
Our goal is to get more of these up there to join the
ISS
digipeater, but of the 4 we have lanuched so far, all
were
short-term orbits and so the most we have ever had
operational
at one time was 3 (PCSAT-1, ANDE and RAFT). That is one
of the
main reasons we wanted to see ISS on 145.825 to join the constellation. ISS was still on 145.800 during most of
the life
of those three birds (which were all on 145.825)
Today, with 6 AA NiCd's, a 19" whip antennna, and a 3.4"
square
APRS Microtacker TNC/Radio you can throw together an
APRS
satellite for under $400. Add cheap solar panels, a lot
of
sweat equity and then find a school to provide the
$50,000
launch, and bingo, A LEO satellite with great utility
that
anyone can use while mobile for text messsaging and
email from
the front panel of their APRS radio.
Please see the Microtrack TNC/Radio which can serve as
the
entire Comms, Command, Control and Telemetry module:
http://www.byonics.com/microtrak/mt-tt4.php
And see our cubesat project:
though this web page needs to be significanly updated..
Bob, WB4APR
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-- Andrew Koenig