End of PCSAT-1 Full Sun Digipeater Operations

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, writing from the US Naval Academy Satellite Lab in Annapolis, Maryland reports, "We've reached the end of PCSAT-1 packet digipeater operations from the most rececnt full sun period."

During the 1/19/07 afternoon pass over USA, PCSAT-1 was overloaded over the west coast and crashed back to W3ADO-1 at 1850z. But one minute later ground controllers had AOS at the Naval Academy ground station and recovered it to PCSAT-1 and digipeating.

But the number of users was just so high, that there was no way PCSAT-1's batteries would survive the next eclipse.
So, after 8 minutes of operations and just prior to LOS, the Naval Academy turned off the digipeater and set the MYCALL to NODIGI as a way of letting users know the digipeater was off.

This is probably the end of this PCSAT-1 operating period. Ground controllers will see if the NODIGI will hold. But eclipses still get longer and eventually PCSAT-1 will be back to resetting on every orbit and be practially useless except mid-day sunnyside passes for a lucky packet or two.

The next full recovery period will be the second week in March.

Bob Bruninga, WB4APR
US Naval Academy Satellite Ground Station

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