The EO-79 CubeSat SSB/CW transponder is again active and will remain in operation until New Year’s Eve, December 31. An earlier activation this month showed that the transponder uplink is about 12 kHz higher than expected. The suggested frequencies to try are 435.047-435.077 MHz LSB up, and 145.935-145.965 MHz USB down.

According to an AMSAT-UK update, the EO-79 team has noticed that activating the transponder makes the satellite power negative, meaning that the solar panels cannot generate enough power to keep the transponder running all the time. “This is not unexpected as the satellite is operating in a different mode than originally anticipated during the design phase,” the AMSAT-UK report said, adding that the team is looking into how to address the issue.

EO-79 is a FUNCube transponder payload onboard QB50P1, which launched in June of 2014. The team has said it aims to activate the transponder for as much time as the power budget allows, but advises that users may find the transponder off while the batteries recharge.

The beacon frequency is 145.815 MHz and consists of AX.25 frames on BPSK. It’s set to transmit every 30 seconds.