On 2/3/2021 11:27, Chris Thompson wrote:
One item we might want to review is the modulator. It is currently a single point of failure for the telemetry. While it seems unlikely it is the cause of the issues on Fox1E, given the low transponder power, it would be nice to know that it is not in some way preventing telemetry being sent.
Not to steal the thread, but one possibility to explain the condition is that the (atomic space) modulator could have failed and that's why we don't hear beacon. It is of reasonable consideration that the transponder low output is simply an effect of having no antenna period, gone, broke off. That could explain the need for a high power uplink to generate a usable signal, since the transponder only hears a strong peep it transmits a relatively strong peep downlink?
And hence the steal mention. What I offer is something to add to your thoughts for LTM modulator rework Chris, we want a rock solid LTM for GOLF because the rest of the stuff is so new it might all fail. RadFxSat-2 is a wonderful example of how important the beacon is, even there are other anomalies adding to the situation. If nothing but a beacon working, at least we can learn. But in terms of current state/effect on RadFxSat-2, if you have comments in that context please blurt them out on the fox1e list. Thanks!
Jerry Buxton, NØJY Vice President - Engineering Radio Amateur Satellite Corp. (AMSAT)