PCSAT2 Installed on ISS

Alvaro de Leon Romo/XE2AT reports hearing PCSat2 on the August 3rd 2038 -2045 pass with a strong signal.

Below a PCSat2 status update from Bob WB4APR.

To find out when the ISS is in range use the Online Satellite Predictor at

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/

Select Show Predictions for ISS and enter your approximate Lat and Long
co-ordinates or IARU QTH Locator.

73 Trevor M5AKA
----
Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 14:11:05 -0400
From: "Robert Bruninga" <bruninga at usna.edu>  
Subject: PCSAT2 activation about 2040z on 3 Aug 05

PCSAT2 EVA Safety switch was thrown at 1117z
so the 8.3 hour EVA Safety timer should time out
at about 1937z but first command station will be
KC8SRG in OHIO at about 1937z.

If we miss that, then N6CO gets two more tries
from the West Coast, then nothing until NZ
and London the next morning.

WHen activated, there will be 1200 and 9600 bd
telemetry on 437.975 +/- 9 KHz of Doppler.
Conventional 1200 baud APRS IGate stations
are encouraged to tune over to the downlink and
feed anything you capture.

9600 baud capable stations are encouraged to
capture the special 9600 baud downlink and
email to PC2@grc.nasa.gov and if they have
IGate software (or the latest ALOGGER 2.0.2)
to feed it live to satgate.aprsca.net port 20150.

Please, no one transmits.  We will announce when
PCSAT2 is open for general use in a few weeks.

Thanks
Bob, WB4APR
USNA Satellite Lab

----------------
PCSAT2 info: http://www.pcsat2.info/
AMSAT-UK produces a newsletter packed full of Amateur Satellite
information. For membership details contact the secretary Jim Heck G3WGM
Tel:   +44 (0)1258 453959
Email: g3wgm@amsat.org
Website: http://www.uk.amsat.org/
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The following updates on PCSAT2 received from Dave G4DPZ and Bob WB4APR
73 Trevor M5AKA
----
Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2005 07:44:10 +0100

Hi,

The live telemetry site has been connected the APRS-IS network  
(ahubswe.net) rather than
the specific server that Bob has mentioned.

I've just moved it over to that site and I'll be monitoring it for  
the next few hours.

The interesting thing is that I've seen many PC2XXB test packets on  
the APRS-IS but there's
very little appearing at the moment.

According to http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/pcsat2.cgi, the only  
packets that have been seen are:

00:11:28:59 : PC2XXB]APRS,RS0ISS-3*,qAO,KB8ZGL-5:!3900.00N/
07630.00W0Testing
00:11:30:28 : PC2XXB]APRS,RS0ISS-3*,qAO,KB8ZGL-5:]testing
02:06:00:51 : PCSAT2]APRLTM,SGATE,qAO,KC9XG:{T# IGNORE ALogger A side  
test packet
02:06:00:51 : KC9XG]APRS,PCSAT2*,qAC,KC9XG:] IGNORE ALogger A side  
test digi packet
02:06:00:52 : PCSAT2]APRLTM,SGATE,qAO,KC9XG:T# IGNORE ALogger A side  
test packet

- Dave
G4DPZ

On 4 Aug 2005, at 02:47, Robert Bruninga wrote:

Thanks to everyone that is feeding the live
telemetry (1200 baud to any APRS Igate)
and 9600 to satgate.aprsca.net:20150.

Its working.  Not sure why the live web page
is not pickikng it up yet... but that will be
solved soon enough.  Here is where we stand
so far:

>>> Robert Bruninga 08/03/05 9:35 PM >>>
PCSAT2 lives.
On the first pass which was only 2 deg for us,
and out last pass of the next 17 hours or so
NASA Glen had a building blackage so with 1 min
LOS and 1 deg,
we sent the wake up commands and were able
to activate the PCSAT2 system, enable 10 sec
telemetry and switched off the fail-safe shunts
which would run the batteries down in 16 hours
if  not caught in time.

But with just that minute or so of access, we did
not get the FTSCE Solar experiment telemetry
enabled.  Since then we  have had a low pass over our
west coast command station who was unsuccessful
But we are getting good telemetry via the worldwide
APRS system, so we know the spacecraft is healthy.

There was a scare when NASA was going to activte
the robot arm unplanned and we wouild have to
shut down.  But this was fought at JSC and they
are going to allow us to remain on as long as the
arm does not get within 14 meters.

We are in the 6 hour dead zone awaiting the first
passes over Europe and NZ starting about midnight.
We will make 5 tries from those areas before we
finally get another shot at it from USNA at about 730 AM.

The  NZ and AUS and London stations will try starting
about 0600z and then USNA gets our first good
passes starting at about 930z.

By the way, since we were here, we caught a pass
of PCsat and were able to successfully cojmmand
both the A and B sides of PCsat and she was alive
and well.  (though of course she died again on the
next eclipse...)

Bob WB4APR
----------------
PCSAT2 info: http://www.pcsat2.info/
AMSAT-UK produces a newsletter packed full of Amateur Satellite
information. For membership details contact the secretary Jim Heck G3WGM
Tel:   +44 (0)1258 453959
Email: g3wgm@amsat.org
Website: http://www.uk.amsat.org/
----------------
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