[aprssig] PCSAT-3 opportunity?

['Scott Miller']

Bob, give me a power budget, footprint, and any other feature requests, and
I'll be happy to make up a custom Tracker2 board.  For satellite operation
I'd probably replace the XR2211 with an MX614 to give it a little better
sensitivity and temperature stability - though the standard one has worked
ok down to -70 C.

It's remotely commandable (for satellite service operation I can add
encryption) and it's even possible to do firmware patches via APRS messages,
though it's a tedious process and you wouldn't want to do more than minor
tweaks that way.

When do you need it?

As for TX/RX, I've got a commercial board on hand (that in fact I'm building
a T2 board to mate with) that's about the size of a pack of cigarettes with
both the controller board and RF board.  TX power is 6 watts max, not sure
about RX sensitivity.  At low TX power I think the duty cycle would be OK,
but at 6 watts it gets hot fast.  It's frequency-agile across a range that
more than covers the amateur 2 meter band.

I'll donate the T2 board and a duplicate or two for ground testing, and the
radio board as well if you want to use it.

Scott
N1VG

> -----Original Message-----
> From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org 
> [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org] On Behalf Of Robert Bruninga
> Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 8:31 AM
> To: aprssig at lists.tapr.org
> Subject: [aprssig] PCSAT-3 opportunity?
> 
> APRSSIG group.
> 
> I may have an opportunity (maybe) to fly a small APRS digipeater
> in space.  It must be 300mw or slightly less, on 145.825 MHz.
> 
> Ideal size would be  7 x 10 cm (thickness unknown at this
> point).
> 
> I'm thinking a BYONICS small TX, but we will need a small RX and
> small TNC-digipeater.  DIGI-X?  Or what about OT's that TX/RX?
> 
> RX Ideas and sizes please...
> Bob, WB4APR
> 
> 
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