PCSAT2 Launch

PCSAT2 was carried into space yesterday by STS-114.

It will not be activated until it is installed on the outside of the ISS on 1 or 3 August during an EVA.

After a week or so of on-orbit checkout, and if all goes well, the APRS digipeater will be activated for general use probably by 10 August.

But, well equipped ground stations are invited to help us capture early telemetry on the alternate downlink of 437.975 on the first few days of activation. Telemetry will be at 1200 and 9600 baud. For details, see:

http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pec/pc2ops.html

There are 2 classes of stations that can help.

1) We ask 1200 baud IGates or SATgates to monitor 437.975 and feed to the normal global APRS system.
This will feed the live telemetry page:
http://www.pcsat2.info/PCSat2Web/RealTime.jsp

2) 9600 Baud stations to monitor the same 437.975 for the special once-every-3.3 minutes 9600 baud data beacon (54 lines of data). Email your file to PC2@grc.nasa.gov

The UHF downlink is only 1 watt and so it will require a beam to hear it.

Good luck
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR
USNA Satellite Lab

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