IO-26 is still up there, and still humming; But we haven't figured out how to run it in voice like we did with AO-16;
Woha! But if it is a pacsat, can't it act as a digipeater if you just set the DIGI bit to on? Then people can use it for real-time digital QSO's.
In the old days, it required everyone to get a $300 modem and use an SSB rig on the downlink. But the Uplink is FM. SO anyone can transmit. And these days, somone I am sure has already written the sound-card generate the manchester uplink!
Then the satgates with the SSB receivers could capture all the downlink traffic.
Or am I forgetting something?
(I know, I'm an APRS hammer and everything kinda looks like an APRS nail...) But you dont have to call it APRS, just call it an emergency or EMAIL link providing worldwide coverage for ham travelers needing a way to get a message out... The global internet linked ground station and Email engine already exists, Just send the email. If an IGate hears it anywhere on the planet, then the Email is as good as delivered.
Bob, WB4APR
Bob wrote:
In the old days, it required everyone to get a $300 modem and use an
SSB
rig on the downlink. But the Uplink is FM. SO anyone can transmit.
And
these days, somone I am sure has already written the sound-card
generate
the manchester uplink!
Hi Bob, I wrote that program to generate the Manchester uplink on a soundcard about ten years ago. The program is called UPW for "Uplink to Pacsats for Windows" and it's at
http://www.quagliana.com/upw/index.html
if anyone is still interested in it. UPW will generate the proper 1200 baud AX.25 APRS packet with NRZI and Manchester encoding suitable for feeding to the microphone of an FM transmitter. UPW is also mentioned on your APRS ASTARS page. :-)
Bob continues:
But if it is a pacsat, can't it act as a digipeater if you just set
the DIGI bit to on?
I think there's more to digipeating than just setting the digi bit. I believe IO-26 is still in MBL mode or something similar. I am pretty sure the satellite is not running the full PACSAT BBS software which was needed to digipeat AX25 packets, but I'll defer to Mark, N8MH, on the specifics of the current status of IO-26.
73, Douglas KA2UPW/5
IO-26 will apparently no longer run the PACSAT software. It's in MBL mode and doesn't have any sort of PACSAT file system software, etc. Same issue with AO-16 when it was warm enough to try to resurrect; some type of hardware issue that prevents it from running (memory? memory controller?)
73,
Mark N8MH
At 01:55 AM 9/8/2012 -0400, Douglas Quagliana wrote:
Bob wrote:
In the old days, it required everyone to get a $300 modem and use an
SSB
rig on the downlink. But the Uplink is FM. SO anyone can transmit.
And
these days, somone I am sure has already written the sound-card
generate
the manchester uplink!
Hi Bob, I wrote that program to generate the Manchester uplink on a soundcard about ten years ago. The program is called UPW for "Uplink to Pacsats for Windows" and it's at
http://www.quagliana.com/upw/index.html
if anyone is still interested in it. UPW will generate the proper 1200 baud AX.25 APRS packet with NRZI and Manchester encoding suitable for feeding to the microphone of an FM transmitter. UPW is also mentioned on your APRS ASTARS page. :-)
Bob continues:
But if it is a pacsat, can't it act as a digipeater if you just set
the DIGI bit to on?
I think there's more to digipeating than just setting the digi bit. I believe IO-26 is still in MBL mode or something similar. I am pretty sure the satellite is not running the full PACSAT BBS software which was needed to digipeat AX25 packets, but I'll defer to Mark, N8MH, on the specifics of the current status of IO-26.
73, Douglas KA2UPW/5
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On 08/09/12 06:55, Douglas Quagliana wrote:
Bob wrote:
In the old days, it required everyone to get a $300 modem and use an
SSB
rig on the downlink. But the Uplink is FM. SO anyone can transmit.
And
these days, somone I am sure has already written the sound-card
generate
the manchester uplink!
Hi Bob, I wrote that program to generate the Manchester uplink on a soundcard about ten years ago. The program is called UPW for "Uplink to Pacsats for Windows" and it's at
The download link redirects to the AOL Lifestream page. Does the zip file include the source code? I have no way of running Windows software, but I'd like to take a look at porting it to something else.
participants (4)
-
Douglas Quagliana -
Gordon JC Pearce -
Mark L. Hammond -
Robert Bruninga