PSAT2 is doing great!
PSK31 and SSTV transponder have been on since launch.
SSTV downlinks are looking good.
See Gallery: http://www.urel.feec.vutbr.cz/esl/psat2/sstv/
Still waiting for first report of user PSK31 contacts.
But I have not said much about the VHF modes… because we have had difficulty commanding. This is because the PSAT2 VHF uplink uses an inexpensive narrowband XCVR module which is intolerant of overdeviated signals, exactly what you get with +/- 3 kHz of Doppler.
ANYWAY, we can now consistently command if we set the Kenwood to narrowband NFM and do it right in the middle of the pass. Plus, we can extend that a bit (1.25 KHz after center) by then changing the radio step size to 6.25 Khz where the channel raster ups the channel by 1.25 KHz).
So, we now have command again! You may have seen that we have turned on Sun vector S#... telemetry and can easily see by plotting the 1 minute xyz xyz xyz vector triplets that it is smoothly tumbling at about 1.3 RPM for nice battery charging and good thermal management.
The downlink is live on FINDU:
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/raw.cgi?call=psat2-1&time=1
Background:
This last 6 days of crisis was complicated by the fact that I am operating in a temporary dungeon while the building is being renovated and all my 27 years of lab stuff is in 200 boxes surrounding me. I installed a temporary ground station on the top floor and modest antennas and a TV rotator and the contractor let me drill a hole through the wall that they can seal up later. But the big problem is the 8 flights of stairs from my PC and internet connectivity in the dungeon up to the radio 6 times a day for passes with only a few hours sleep and all kinds of what-if-dead-ends. And with passes from 10 PM to 2 AM.
But we are back in the saddle again!
And this good news reprieve is only an hour old, so it will take a while to decide what we want to do next. In any case, the Brno University PSK31 and SSTV transponder has all the power for now, so enjoy.
Uplink USB on 29.4815 and downlink on 435.350 +/- Doppler. The transponder only comes up if there is a user in the uplink with PSK31.
Bob, WB4APR