PCsat USER SERVICE AGREEMENT 5 July 2002 de WB4APR ------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED 8 Nov 2007: PCSAT will only respond to WIDEn-N packets. This change was necessary to take advantage of the DUPE-filtering that is automaticaly performed by the WIDEn-N algorithm. This will reduce the peak load over Europe which tends to crash PCSAT. SERVICE: PCsat NO44 and Sapphire NO45 provide a worldwide position, status and messaging service for mobile and handheld amateur radio satellite users. Grade of service depends on user adherence to Power levels, transmission Period, and Precedence criteria. (Both are currently not working to full design, so note changes below). POLICY STATEMENT: PCsat (and Sapphire) are open systems in accordance with the ITU regulations for the Amateur Satellite Service. To provide the best overall throughput for the largest collection of users, PCsat and Sapphire digipeaters are protocol driven and require that all users adhere to the fundamental protocol requirements. Users that adhere to these published protocol and operating standards are very welcome. AGREEMENTS: You may use PCsat and Sapphire if you adhere to the following agreements: 1) PCsat and Sapphire are for ATTENDED LIVE UI digipeating only. No CONNECTIONS either TO or THROUGH these Satellites are authorized. Unattended operations are not welcome (except for validated experiments, Antarctic WX stations and floating environmental buoys. 2) Keep informed of the current protocol requirements via the PCsat web page and/or via bulletins in the downlink. As of activation on 3 Oct 2001, the requested routine uplink rate is only 1 routine position/status packet per minute. One-line messages may be somewhat more frequent in a dialog context. 3) Understand that the PCsat/Sapphire mission and your objective is to get mobile/HT positions and or status digipeated once or so per pass and to relay a few messages or Email as needed. Share the resource. Minimize your transmissions.. 4) Sapphire supports UI digipeating as only a secondary mission and should NOT be used if command stations are downloading other data on the channel. Also, Sapphire should not be used for any un- attended operations. Digipeating via Sapphire is only permissible from a manned station that can confirm that the satellite is not otherwise in use. *** As of June 2002, SAPPHIRE's DIGIpeater has not been heard *** *** Sapphire was recovered on 5 Nov 2002 by Mineo Wakita/JE9PEL *** *** But it is again inoperative. 5) The PCsat uplink path used to support generic digipeater aliases of RELAY, WIDE, APRSAT and ARISS. Its default callsign is W3ADO-1. But as of the November full-sun receovery period, we have changed that to only support WIDEn-N to help eliminate duplicate packets for at least one minute each. We try to keep the MYCall of PCSAT-1 loaded when she is fully operational and these additional aliases are useable. These then are the UNPROTO paths users might use: UNPROTO APRS VIA RELAY (Presently disabled) UNPROTO APRS VIA WIDE (Presently disabled) UNPROTO APRS VIA ARISS (Presently disabled. Compatibility with ISS) UNPROTO APRS VIA W3ADO-1(Presently disabled. default PCSAT callsign) UNPROTO APRS VIA WIDE2-2 (or any WIDEn-N. but only once a minute). UNPROTO APRS VIA KE6QMD (for Sapphire) Like the terrestrial network, PCsat does callsign-substitution of its own MYCALL to indicate that it has digipeated the packet. Sapphire does not. 6) Use only the authorized power levels, channel and periodicity for your station class and precedence as posted and published below. STATION CLASS PWR BAUD UPLINK PERIOD DIGIPATH DOWNLINK -------------- --- ---- ------- ------- -------- --------- Terminal Packet 50W 1200 145.827 2 min APRSAT 145.825 APRS Base stn 50W 9600 435.250 2 min APRSAT 145.825 Mobile 50W 9600 435.250 various APRSAT 145.825 Handi-Talkie 5W 1200 145.827 various APRSAT 145.825 Due to failure of the -Z solar panel, the UHF receivers are kept off to conserve power. THus the only public uplink on PCsat is 145.825 MHz. The un-published uplink for the 144.39 system is available for anyone with special needs. PCsat can hear well a 5 Watt station using a decent antenna when no one else is colliding with the uplink. But it appears that it took more power than 5 watts to hit Sapphire. The Sapphire UPLINK is 145.945 and downlink is 437.100 +/- Doppler. 7) Routine operations after dark via PCsat are not welcome. Do not use PCsat in the dark unless you have a high priority requirement. 8) Use the shortest possible packets. Mic-E protocol or APRS compressed is preferred (typically 30 bytes or so). ALso Use a short TX Delay (TXD) of about 200ms if possible. 9) Determine your own precedence based on your current communications requirements for each pass. In general, all use is routine except for special circumstances. Typical Special usage is for demonstra- tions, and long term events. Priority usage may be for VIP demos or special one-time events. Use good judgment, being fair to all other usrs. To alert other users to your precedence/priority, Set your period and position comment as follows: STN CLASS PRECEDENCE PERIOD ICON POSITION COMMENT ----------- ---------- ------ ----- ------------------------ Mobile/HT Emergency .2 min any EMERGENCY Priority .5 min any PRIORITY Special 1 min any Special Routine 2 min any Off-duty,Enroute,...,etc Termnl Pkt* ALL X * 2 N/A Short BText Base Stns ALL X * 2 House Off-Duty GPS Traker ALL X * 2 GPSxyz N/A Notice that terminal packet stations, base stations, and NMEA Trackers are requested to minimize QRM by setting their packet rates to the next longer period (twice as long) for any given precedence to account for their longer packets. SAFE MODE: Whenever PCsat RESETS to "safe mode", we ask that all user transmissions other than Emergency and Priority traffic cease. SAFE mode can be recognized by an ALL-ON telemetry configuration of 11111111 and the PCSAT-1 callsign changes to W3ADO-1. *** PCsat is dying. DO NOT USE IT if there is any chance of recovery. *** DUring the summer you may use W3ADO-1 since there is no chance of recovery except during full sun periods in the late fall and winter. Remember, for now, no unattended operations are authorized via Sapphire. or PCsat. Also night time operations via PCsat will kill it. ACCEPTANCE: If you accept the conditions of operation for PCsat and Sapphire, please sign this document and post it in your primary wallpaper location and enjoy! SIGNATURE: _______________________________________ Date: _______________________