PCSAT LOAD TEST RESULTS.  27 JUNE 2002                             WB4APR
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On THurs, 27 June we conducted a short fuse user LOAD Test on PCSAT:
 
> ...Before it goes back into maximum ecllipses, I would like to load
> PCsat with as MANY different users as we can.  Target is TOMORRW.
> THURSDAY AFTERNOON, GOING HOME RUSH HOUR, USA, 27 JUNE 2002
 
RESULTS:  A Qualified success.  With a user load of 56 simultaneous users,
          the success rate was over 97%, thus validating the viability of
          the PCsat and other Space digipeaters (ISS) as a means of letting
          a large number of users share a satellite during a pass.
 
DISCUSSION:  But it was still not a full load test, since the digipeater
was still only lightly loaded (maybe 10% of design load).  The design goal
of PCsat was to be able to  support on average about 300 to 500 users per
day in the USA...  THe following details show you how I arrived at the
above numbers...
 
SUCCESS:  30 out of 31 with the correct settings were successful (97%)
 
LOAD:     16 others were trying (QRM) but had the wrong digipeater
          callsign because PCsat reset in Eclipse and was not properly
          configured.  Of these, one station reported transmitting every
          12 seconds throughtout the pass in frustration.  Compared to
          the requested nominal 2 minute rate, he counts for an added
          channel load of 10 more users... for a total of 56.
 
The desired transmit dutycycle per user was to be one packet every 2
minutes.  Most users appear to have adhered to that objective and still
were able to achieve success.
 
I am so sorry that PCsat was not available during Field Day due to run
down batteries.  Maybe then we could have seen how the design would have
worked with  a full load of several hundred users.  PCsat is still usable
in the afternoon sun, but not in the morning or at night due to not being
charged up.  PCsat is running out of battery power and resettting itself
every eclipse.
 
If we make it to the next full sun period in September, maybe we can try
again to get a full user load to valideate the design...
  
These calls were successful:
 AA3VO,AA9LC,AB7QN
 K5OE,K9ORP,KA0AZS,KB0VBZ,KB1GUE,KB5HPL,KC0JHQ,KC4ZGQ,KD7MJC
 N3SOK,N4QWF,N6CO,N6JLH,N7VMR,N9ORP,N8ORJ,NP3ZY
 W3SMK,W4JBB,W8AAS,WA4SAS,WA4SSP,WB4APR,WB4JBB,WB8NW
 VE3DOH,XE2ARF
 
Thanks for all your participation.
Bob Bruninga
WB4APR