[amsat-bb] APRS Satellites (QIKCOM-1 a GO for this Friday AM) CORRECTION!

[Robert Bruninga]

Please use the ALIAS of APRSAT on your uplinks instead of ARISS so that you
only hit QIKCOM-1 for these first few passes with your test uplinks (once a
minute).



*Sent:* Thursday, October 26, 2017 4:01 PM
*To:* 'AMSAT-BB'
*Subject:* APRS Satellites (QIKCOM-1 a GO for this Friday AM)



QIKCOM-1 should deploy from the ISS Friday at 0920 UTC or so attached to
the SIMPL spacecraft.  It is an APRS digipeater just like the ISS but
responds to the APRSAT path (and also to ARISS).  So use the APRSAT path
for these early tests to only trigger QIKCOM-1 to digipeat.  At 4 Watts, it
will be 10 dB stronger than PSAT(84) and about the same power level as ISS
and should be easy to receive on the 145.825 downlink.



We ask all potential IGates to check your ground stations and make sure
they are ready to IGate packets during those initial orbits from all over
the globe.  If you do not have an IGate, just capture packets and email
them to  qikcom1 at gmail.com until we see that everything is making it to the
APRS-IS.



The downlink should be available on the original http://pcsat.findu.com and
also on http://59.167.159.165/satreporter/index2.html



Being released from ISS, QIKCOM-1 will of course have the same Elements and
tracking info as ISS until they begin to separate.  This means passes over
the USA every 90 minutes beginning at 0630 EDT in the Southeast and ending
after 1440 PDT in Southern California.



Web page:  http://aprs.org/qikcom-1.html



As usual, QIKCOM-1 is not intended for UNATTENDED BEACONS.  It is designed
for Live Operations and experiments only.

For the initial passes, do not attempt 2-way contacts.  Just set your
STATUS text to indicate your TX power and antenna type and transmit at 1m
intervals ATTENDED  as described on the web page during these first few
orbits. So we can get sttistices on uplink quality.



Bob, WB4APR

Student Satellite Mentor

US Naval Academy