Since the ISS packet station has recently been off the air, We are fortunate that the PCSAT-1 digipeater has been Recovered for the next few weeks and so ARISS packet Operators are invited to use PCSAT-1 while it ramins operational.
We'd like to demo PCSAT-1 to students on this Thursday 28 Sept at 0923 EDT and 1112 EDT over the eastern USA. This is normal APRS (or UI) digipeating via the digipeater callsign of PCSAT-1 (or VIA ARISS) on the Space APRS channel of 145.825. Our callsign is W3ADO-15. Here is what we would like to see:
1) Attended stations set APRS posit rate to 2 mins (til successful) 2) Unattended stations set APRS posit rate to 5 minutes 3) Include in your POSIT text these items: a) ur name, TX power and ANT Gain b) some reference to this event (like GO Navy! Etc) c) Example might be: "Bob,2 min,5W,3dBi omni ant,Beat Army"
With this info, my students will plot your APRS posit and can calculate the link equation for your station and we can see the statistics of how well weak as well as strong stations get in. Please adhere to your stated rate for the POSIT text. Our station, W3ADO-15 will QSL your packets.
If you are attended and you get more than 5 successes, cut your period (and change your posit text) to 5 minutes. The objective is to see how many people we can capture, not how many times you can get in!
If you are NOT running APRS, here is how to use ANY TNC to participate: 1) Set your UNPROTO to APRS VIA PCSAT-1 2) Set your Btext with GRID square "[FM19sx]Joe,5min,5W,8dBi ant,Hi mids!" 3) Set your BEACON to every 5 minutes.
Notice that the grid square must be 6 digits or some APRS will not decode them.
I hope we get plenty of participation. Of course, TOO MUCH participation coiuld kill it too. But we will see how it goes.
Thanks, WB4APR, Bob
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:00 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: PCSAT-1 (NO-44) Recoverd!
PCSAT-1 has been recovered as it entered better sun angles.
PCSAT-1 should remain NORMAL OPS for the next few weeks until
it
experiences an overload and resets. Then we lose it till December. So we ask that all users please adhere to these fundamental principles:
- No unattended operations
- No connections to or through PCSAT-1
- UI digipeating and APRS packets only typically at 1 minute
rates or so 4) Watch pcsat.aprs.org for live activity 5) Use the path of VIA PCSAT-1 or VIA ARISS 6) Minimize all packets after dark!
Enjoy PCSAT-1 and APRS! Make contacts, QSO, enjoy!
Just remember that ACKS are pretty useless and only add QRM to the channel. So do not expect ACKS via the satellite. If you see your outgoing packet digipeated by PCSAT-1 a few times then you should ASSUME that the other person got it and delete it yourself. By the same token, if someone sends you a message, then ANSWER him in kind, so that he knows you got it.
See web page PCSAT.APRS.ORG or Google for PCSAT.
De WB4APR, Bob US Naval Academy Satellite Lab
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robert
Bruninga
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 9:42 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] PCSAT-1 Recovery and OPS
AMSAT-BB:
Users please refrain from any packets TO or VIA W3ADO-1.
We are trying to recover PCSAT-1 (NO-44). We only have one
shot
per day at a given lattitude and a given orbit when the sun angles are just perfect.. We were trying to recover today
and
would have been successful, but there were other signals on
the
air. These packets consumed all available power while we
were
trying to connnect the command link and made the link impossible.
We ask that ALL USERS not send any packets via the W3ADO-1 default callsign. This callsign means PCSAT-1 is in RESET condition and is power negative. If we can recover it this week, then PCSAT-1 will be useable for several weeks, but we only have a few day window during which this recovery is possible. This can only work if there is no contention on
the
uplink.
Please do not use W3ADO-1 in any way until it has been receovered. If you see the callsign PCSAT-1, then you are welcome to use it. But until then, we need every single
packet
worth of power to try to get in on the command link and get
it
set up for users.
So if it is using W3ADO-1, then that means it has not been
set
to low power mode and has not been receoverd. If it is
using
PCSAT-1, then that means we have turned it over to users.
I am glad to see users interested in using the bird. We are hopeful that we can recover it this week and then maybe get
a
few weeks of continuous use out of her. As always,
unattended
beacons are not welcome at this time.
See pcsat.aprs.org
Thanks
Bob WB4APR