[aprssig] PCSAT2 Satellite Data Relay Channel

[Robert Bruninga]

We are making a major change in the mission
of the PCSAT2 packet digipeater.  Unattended
remote sensors are now authorized.

This is to meet the need of a growing number of
APRS and other amateur packet radio applications
and student experiments with remote sensors
that need a dedicated channel for linking their
data via satellite.  Previous examples have been
the amateur WX stations placed in the Arcitc and
Antarctic, plus floating ocean buoy experiments.

The objectives of these experiments are to get
one packet per good pass (or at least two per
day) back to their operating stations.  In the
past, unattended operations like this were not
authorized via PCSAT and PCSAT2 so as to leave
bandwidth for human live users.

But since PCSAT2 flies on ISS and the ARISS
digipeater is available for all human activity,
it was felt that the dedication of the PCSAT2
channel to primarily data would lay the ground
work for present and future such experiments.

Again, unattened beacons with no intrinsic data
or value other than identification are still not 
welcome.  Users ARE still welcome.   The PCSAT2  
User Service Agreement has been updated to 
reflect this major mission change.

http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pec/useragreemt.txt

de Wb4APR, Bob