[amsat-bb] PCSAT-1 (NO-44) Special Event Thursday Morn

[Robert Bruninga]

PCSAT-1 Special Event

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 minutes (until
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:bruninga at usna.edu] 
> Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:00 PM
> To: bruninga at usna.edu; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> 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:
> 
> 1) No unattended operations
> 2) No connections to or through PCSAT-1
> 3) 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: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org 
> > [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On Behalf Of Robert
> Bruninga
> > Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 9:42 AM
> > To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
> > 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