A couple thoughts (and these are based on memory, not looking at code since I am not in my shack)
First, Jim, remember that any changes that I made are all on the git branch that starts WB1FJ... And that branch will not work on the launchpad. This branch came off "MAIN" so anything in any other branches is not included in WB1FJ...
Second, I did not explicitly mess with anything relating to power in my last round of changes, although most of the calls into the AX5043 code I had to change to include an argument to say which chip to use. For something transmit-only, though I'm not sure.
And finally, the way power works on Golf (and I probably did not change this when I originally ported it to Launchpad, although someone else may have): There is a high power and a low power. The values for high and low are either constants or in MRAM. But the commands are essentially to set it to high or low power. On Golf, there is a high/low pair for both normal mode and safe mode, but there are no such modes on Pacsat of course. Since that must have been ripped out at some point--probably that original port, or by Chris later--I'm not sure just how the power works at this point.
Sorry, I'd look at more of this, but I have a busy weekend prepping for and teaching a ham radio class.
73,
Burns Fisher, WB1FJ
AMSAT(R) Engineering -- Flight Software