------------ Original Message ------------
I'm a reporter with NPR who's working on a little story about some
cell-phone
satellites that were recently launched into space
(Curmudgeon mode on!)
1. I tried to get NPR interested in doing a story about the launch of AMSAT-Phase 3D back in 2000. They did not think that a 600 kilogram satellite with a hypergolic propulsion system, built by volunteer labor from a dozen different countries, financed by a multimillion dollar budget contributed in $50 or $100 increments from hams around the world, was worth doing a story about, but let someone put a cell phone in a cubesat and they think that is a big deal.
2. Cell phones are consumer devices, exquisitely engineered for mass production with reasonably high reliability at minimum per unit cost. Consumer electronics is a highly specialized area of engineering, but so is space flight hardware. Using consumer electronic devices in a space flight environment is a misapplication of engineering principles and is destined to be a technological dead-end. The excuse that the satellite is only intended to last for a short time is rather lame, as is the waste of valuable launch vehicle capacity that could be better used by more serious missions.
AMSAT has a dedicated team of highly competent engineers who can supply inexpensive computers and radios that are specifically engineered for space flight, yet we still have cubesat groups buying off the shelf HT's and removing them from the plastic case for installation on their cubesat because they just don't know any better. Apparently neither does NASA.
3. AMSAT-UK had two news items in the last bulletin: "PhoneSat CubeSats with Ham Radio Payloads Launched" and "CubeSats with Ham Radio Payloads Deployed" referring to the BeeSat and SOMP CubeSats.
None of these satellites carry a ham radio transponder. None of them support ham radio communications. The mere fact that a satellite transmits telemetry on ham radio frequencies does not make it a "Ham Radio satellite". That term should be reserved for satellites that support the purpose of amateur radio, which is two-way communications between radio amateurs.
NASA's own PhoneSat press release says that "These satellites were built by NASA civil servants and contractor employees from USRA and SGT." They weren't built by hams, and they don't serve ham radio.
The 435 MHz band does belong to the government as the primary user, and we hams will have access to the band only as long as the government remains as the primary user. If Congress orders the band to be auctioned to commercial interests we will lose the use of it for sure. If NASA needs to use it for telemetry downlink because of the ease of licensing, availability of low cost equipment from the ham radio market, and worldwide availability of hams who may be interested in receiving and forwarding their telemetry, then go ahead and use the amateur satellite band. Just don't call it a "Ham Radio satellite".
(/Curmudgeon mode off)
Dan Schultz, N8FGV