OOPS... Not so fast.

PCSAT-1 digipeater has been turned off. We enabled it for users on only the 2nd orbit after recovery, but lots of folks were out there, and we are having problems keeping the PCSAT-11 and PCSAT-1 transmitters isolated. The relay keeps dropping out.

So I have turned all digipeating off until we have at least 12 hours of low usage to give the batteries time to fully charge.

RULE: If you see packets from both PCSAT-1 and PCSAT-11 on the same frequency, then STOP digipeating. The transmitters are cross connected and consuming TWICE the battery power (which we don't have). You can confirm what is happening prior to your pass by checking the packets on http://pcsat.aprs.org If you see packets from both the -1 and -11 callsign via the same satgates, then the transmitters are cross connected and should not be used. Also avoid any use after dark.

Bob, WB4APR

-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 12:25 PM To: [email protected]; 'amsat' Subject: AMSAT Mobile Satellites. PCSAT-1 recovered!

PCSAT-1 recovered!

PCSAT-1 responded to all RESTORE commands on the 1320Z pass

this

morning.

On the next pass (now in full sun), she remembered it all and was fully operational (though the transmitters were again

cross

connected meaning that relay had dropped out in the dark over Europe. But we set the relay again and she should be fine. PLEASE limit all operations to DAYLIGHT hours only, and

PCSAT-1

should be good for the next few weeks. Also, on the same 145.825, you should also hear ANDE and ARISS. That's 18

passes

a day!

Please see downlink packets on http://pcsat.aprs.org As long as the callsign "PCSAT-1" is appearing, then she is holding up. If W3ADO-1 appears, then she has lost it again...

PCSAT-11 downlink is on 144.39 over North America so all

mobiles

on the normal APRS channel can be alerted when it is in

view...

And full details on

http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pcsat.html

Bob, WB4APR

...

-----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 10:58 AM

November should be a great Mobile Satellite Month.

There are 7 satellites you can work from your mobile FM rig, including PCSAT-1 which should fully recover by this weekend

and

...

last for 2 or more weeks. So now is the time to get going

with

...

live satellite contacts via these easy FM satellites, or

setting

...

up a SATGATE (Igate).

DOWNLINK SATELLITE

---

145.825 ISS APRS digipeater 145.825 PCSAT-1 (recovery expected 3 Nov) 145.825 ANDE-1 (re-entry expected next month) 435.225 GO-32 +/- 10 KHz and 9600 baud

435.300 AO-51 *FM Voice* +/- 10 KHz 436.795 SO-50 *FM Voice* +/- 10 KHz 436.795 AO-27 *FM Voice* +/- 10 KHz

As you can see, there will be over 40 passes per day with 18

for

...

the 1200 baud satellites, 6 per day for the 9600 baud GO32

and

...

18 for the voice birds. All 1200 baud pass times are

between

...

about 6 AM to 1800 local sun time in the Northern

Hemisphere.

...

GO-32 and AO-51 voice birds are in the morning and evening, AO-27 is in the afternoon. It is trivial to know when to operate these birds WITHOUT A PC. Please see the manual-tracking page: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/MobileLEOtracking.html

The packet path on 145.825 is VIA ARISS for all three satellites. The path for GO-32 is VIA 4XTECH and uses two different uplinks: 145.85 for APRS software and messages. 145.93 for all Mic-E, D7 and D700 radios.

That's more than one pass per hour on 145.825. Lots of

contact

...

potential from your mobile...

For APRS birds: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pcsat.html http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/iss-faq.html http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/ande-ops.html http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/GO32-ops.html

For AMSAT birds: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/status.php

For many of these satellites, you don't even need a tracking program. Just a slip of paper on the dashboard... See: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/MobileLEOtracking.html

The best antenna is a 19.5" whip in the center of your roof.

5

...

dBi gain on the 2m uplink and almost 8 dBi gain for the very weak UHF downlink (above 25 degrees)...

Watch for special event info.

WB4APR, Bob

---

Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of

...

the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings:

http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

...

I have been able to wake it up every time I've tried with 5 watts and a horizontal beam, but the signals have indeed been very weak. Usually I can get at least one telemetry packet to decode, but indeed the sigs have been extremely faint recently. I don't think it's re-entering yet, when RAFT went down the pass predictions became very inaccurate, yet ANDE is still on schedule. Perhaps the batteries are getting low... (ANDE has no solar panels, just a bunch of D-cells)

-Joe, N8FQ

On Fri, 9 Nov 2007 20:34:46 -0000 "Chris Bloy" [email protected] wrote:

Hi Bob and all,

ANDE has been even weaker than normal over the last few passes, not been able to copy the telemetry at all.. also haven't seen it on pcsat.findu.com, so does this mean re-entry is due/passed already?

I will monitor over the next few days, but also not heard FCAL for a few either?

Thanks.,

Chris

All,

I set TE 1 this morning to collect more telemetry. But I cannot confirm that ANDE is weaker.

20071110074119,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#001,104,091,088,087,085,10000000 ,434 20071110074146,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAo,ON7EQ:T#002,138,050,052,049,214,11100001,62 2 20071110074155,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAo,ON7EQ:T#003,104,090,088,086,086,10000000,62 2 20071110074206,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAo,DK3WN-1:T#004,003,009,009,004,004,01000000, 622 20071110074214,ANDE-1>APRS2,SGATE,qAo,DK3WN-1::BLN2ANDE :ANDE stays awake for 30 secs after last pkt heard. 20071110074216,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAo,DK3WN-1:T#005,104,167,106,002,108,00000010, 622 20071110074225,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#006,136,050,052,049,214,11100001 ,622 20071110074236,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#007,104,090,087,086,086,10000000 ,622 20071110074246,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#008,003,044,034,021,022,01000000 ,622 20071110074255,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#009,008,176,106,002,109,00000010 ,622 20071110074305,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#010,136,050,052,049,214,11100001 ,622 20071110074315,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#011,104,089,086,086,087,10000000 ,622 20071110074325,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#012,003,009,009,004,004,01000000 ,622 20071110074328,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:>Satellite 145.825mhz US Naval Academy 20071110074345,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#014,136,050,052,049,214,11100001 ,622 20071110074355,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#015,103,089,086,086,089,10000000 ,622 20071110074415,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#017,008,175,106,002,109,00000010 ,622 20071110074425,ANDE-1>BEACON,qAO,EA4EKH-6:T#018,136,050,052,049,214,11100001 ,622

73, Mike

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Im Auftrag von Robert Bruninga Gesendet: Freitag, 9. November 2007 22:47 An: [email protected] Betreff: [amsat-bb] Re: ANDE

...

ANDE has been even weaker than normal over the last few passes...

ANDE is under heavy drag. So its element set gets out of date in just a few days. So it is going over earlier than predictions. Could be you are looking west, when it has alredy past you and is to the east...

My keps were about 10 days old and they were late by 6 full minutes. Using them, I was looking west when it was disappearing east.

This decay will increase until ANDE re-enters.

Just an idea. Bob, Wb4APR

_______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

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