At 05:27 PM 9/30/2007, Bob Stewart wrote:
I've seen a few comments about AO-40, but where is it?
It's motor blew up, and that wasn't really new technology - someone forgot to remove a pin.
As far as digital stuff goes, well, yawn. I find it totally disinteresting, but I'm happy that it's there for the people who enjoy it. When digital communications gets to the reliability level of analog, then someone please wake me. I don't mean to be insulting, but I just don't see it happening because of the direction digital has taken.
Digital is more than sending keyboard to keyboard or files. It is digital voice. It is Software-Defined Radio and transponders. The SDX(s) in the Advanced Communication Package(s) is designed to make it possible for folks with antenna restrictions to work satellites with nothing more than a dish the size of one for DirecTV .
To sum it up, I've spent most of my years in ham radio on HF. I like the idea of being able to contact people in foreign countries. Two of my most exciting contacts on satellite were with VO10R and our own VE9QRP. Because of my QTH and finances, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to contact Hawaii or Alaska via satellite. Europe is a dream that's probably way out reach. In any case, what works for me are challenges that are just meetable with my resources.
See above re the reduced requirements for ground stations. Sounds like just what you are looking for ... stay tuned for info re future world-wide coverage 24/7 by satellite.
IMHO, projects that are usable by an ever narrowing group of people (microwaves, nanowaves, extremely weak signals, etc) are doomed to an eventual failure of large-scale support.
We are already doomed to extinction if we do not make fundamental changes. The average age of US hams is 57 yr., and it is rising by 1 yr. per yr. Do the math and you see if we do not make it more relevant to young people, then it will not matter. Simply looking to HF and DXing and contesting to excite kids is not going to do it. If it was, we would have seen it already. Check with the kids - it's a digital world out there. If we build for the old and disgruntled, then with all due respect we are building our own coffins.
Lest you think this is being done to exclude people, nothing could be further from the truth .... the goal is to accommodate many people with simpler antennas and gear.
Really.
73, Dave VE3GYQ/W8 Spencerville, OH