[amsat-bb] AO-85 update

At about 2105UTC today I disabled the auto Safe mode function on AO-85, and turned the transponder on. After verifying it would drop with inactivity, a few QSOs were made before LOS.

Currently, the battery voltage is very low and it looks like we have a cell about to give up the ghost. Please do not use the satellite while it is in eclipse, even if you hear it OK. We are not sure what will be usable if and when this cell fails completely. In the meantime, reports to -bb are welcome and helpful.

Thanks and 73, Drew KO4MA

AMSAT VP Operations