RE: [amsat-bb] Re: Translate Echo Details ?

["Michael Hatzakis, Jr" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick and group,

Thank you very much, this is very helpful.   I read all of the presentations
on the AMSAT web site, but I needed some translation into what that might
look like in terms of the possibilities/intentions of the operations team.

I am presuming this is an example schedule, but it does highlight the
capabilities, thank you.  I didnt see a wide, passband type operation.  Do
you think SSB/CW will be a signficant part of the schedule?

Michael K3MH

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Hambly (W2GPS) [mailto:w2gps@cnssys.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 4:11 AM
To: mike@hatzakis.net
Cc: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Re: Translate Echo Details ?


Mike,

The Echo operations team is working on the description you want.  Echo has
many capabilities so it is a difficult task to converge on the optimum
schedule.  Also, anything we put out now will be speculative until we know
what works after launch and until we learn more about our power budget.

If I had to venture a guess, I would say that normal operation would be
something like (the following is not anything close to being finalized!):

1) FM voice repeater mode - on all the time (except see 3), 145.860 up, 67
Hz PL
435.155 down, 1 Watt minimum. CTCSS PTT mode (TX comes on when it hears a 67
Hz PL), 1 second kerchunk filter, 10 second hang time, TX power controlled
automatically by software, up to 6W out when DC power is available

2) Digital mode - On all the time (except see 3) 145.930 up at 9k6, 435.285
down at 9k6, 1 Watt all the time, running the store and forward BBS system,
callsign is PACB-11 and PACB-12. Digital mode means just like UO-22: Store
and forward BBS using the PBP, Periodic real-time TLM, WOD in the file
system. Possibly periodic APRS status broadcast messages.

3) Wednesday (UTC) is experimenters' day.  Other modes will be in use from
Weds about 0000 UTC to Weds about 2359 UTC.  Modes will be scheduled a week
or more in advance.  Experimental modes could be any of those Echo is
capable of.  If no experiment is scheduled Echo will be in L/S 9k6 up/38k4.
We expect the following to be in use at times:
L/S FM repeat
L/S 9k6 up/38k4 or 76k6 down
many other modes, see presentations at www.amsat.org.

Rick
W2GPS

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org [mailto:owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org] On Behalf
Of mike@hatzakis.net
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 2:16 AM
To: Wayne Estes W9AE; amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] Re: Translate Echo Details ?

I am inquiring because I would like to make a significant contribution, and
will probably do anyway, but I thought I would try to understand what it is
going to do exactly as a newcomer to Satellite operation before I do, or at
the very least get some ideas of the deployement/operational strategy.  Am I
looking in the correct places?

Michael  K3MH

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org [mailto:owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org]On
Behalf Of Wayne Estes W9AE
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 8:58 PM
To: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Translate Echo Details ?


Michael K3MH wrote:

Can someone give me a straightforward overview of what the operation of Echo
will be.  I am not a veteran satellite user, so I am still getting used to
the terminology.  I have read all the multiple versions of the powerpoints
on AMSAT.org.  I see PSK, 10m up UHF down.  It states a number of
reprogrammable modes, with it's four rx's and two tx's, but wasent clear to
me what all the operations are going to be.  I am most intersted in standard
voice modes, what are the uplink/downlinks for voice?  FM and SSB?  Data
up/down?  Is there a chart somewhere?


Wayne replies:

AMSAT is famously evasive about the planned operating frequencies and modes
of complex satellites that haven't been launched yet.  Maybe the team hasn't
decided the main operating modes/schedule.  Or perhaps the team just doesn't
want to raise expectations before they know which systems will actually be
functional when the satellite gets into orbit.

Recent events with other satellites lead me to make some educated guesses:

The extremely popular FM "easy-sat" UO14 died recently, so I suspect that
one of the two downlinks will be used all the time as a Mode V/U FM voice
repeater.

The number of available digital satellites has dwindled to 1 and sometimes
zero, so I suspect that the second downlink will be used most of the time as
a Mode V/U digital satellite.  Probably 9600 baud at first because there is
a large user base with that capability.  But there will surely be
experiments with higher data rates and experiments with the S-band downlink.
The "PSK repeater" will surely be tested, and maybe it will be enabled
frequently if it attracts lots of users.

These are strictly my guesses, but I'm willing to bet money that one
downlink will be used all the time as an FM repeater if Echo has two
functional full-time downlinks.

Wayne Estes W9AE
Mundelein, IL, USA


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