Hello All,
Well, so much for the theoretical :) AO-51 isn't quite out of eclipses yet. Therefore, continuos operation of the 435.150 digital transmitter will be postponed a few more days until we get some baseline telemetry data and figure out how much power is actually available.
You can expect the 435.300 v/u voice repeater to remain ON at reasonable power, but unexpected shutdowns may occur as we adjust the spacecraft's power budget during the transition from eclipses to full sunlight. It is likely that early morning operators over the east coast of the US will find the bird with only the digital transmitter on at 435.150 for part of the pass so I can collect telemetry.
Thanks for your patience and for your reports!
73,
Mark L. Hammond [N8MH]