Why is SuitSAT so weak?

February 14 ISS On-Orbit Status Report

Update on SuitSAT (RadioSkaf): The SuitSAT satellite
continues to broadcast but the signal is reported to be
extremely weak. Hundreds of reports from individuals
receiving the signal from all over the world have been logged
and there has been tremendous interest in this project with
nearly 4.5 million hits at the SuitSAT website (www.suitsat.org ).
[The signal is much weaker then predicted (probably due to
an amplifier failure in the transmitter), and as a result
the battery is lasting longer that originally predicted.]