On 09/19/2012 06:09 PM, John Spasojevich wrote:
If you are going to push education, it's not real easy to sell someone like NASA who has launchers available, that their interest in education is served by launching an AO-40 replacement when it'll be full of "real hams" and little opportunity for students. The road to reduced cost launches lies with the education card and that is the path AMSAT-NA is on and until one of the "real hams" wants to step up and head a drive to raise several million dollars, I think you'll all be dead a buried before another AO-40 flies.
I fear you are correct. About the likelihood of another HEO launch. But I disagree about the rest.
The education card may gain us cheaper launches, but why are we bothering? A recent post here mentioned a five-satellite CubeSat launch, concluding that "Four of the CubeSats carry Amateur Radio payloads..." Excuse me?
F-1 transmits on 145.980 MHz and 437.485 MHz which are both ham frequencies. But hams can't use this bird, because unless you want to look at earth images (and live in the vicinity of the ground-station) or you are interested in the spacecraft's obscure telemetry, there is nothing for you here. And if you ARE interested, you don't have to be a ham radio operator to "use" the satellite. All you need is the appropriate receiver and no license.
FITSAT-1 transmits on 437.250 MHz, 437.445 MHz and 5.840 GHz. Again, all ham frequencies, and again, useable by ANYONE, with or without a ham license, because all you need is a receiver (seeing as all you can do is listen to some more obscure telemetry). The Hi-Brite LEDs writing CW in the sky is really neet... but you won't see it unless you live near the ground-station.... which I don't
WE-WISH (apparently) downlinks on ham frequency 437.505 MHz. It seems to have a thermal imager on it, and presumably lots more obscure telemetry. Once again, non-hams can use this as easily as hams because it only requires you have a receiver, no interaction being possible.
TechEdSat will allow you (and any non-ham with a receiver) to listen to the obscure telemetry (hereinafter "ObsTel") on ham frequency 437.465 MHz. Why you would want to, I can't imagine.
So. Is this the sort of "Amateur Radio Payload" that we should hope for, if we continue to play the education card? Personally, I can't see why we should bother. Judging by these satellites, the phrase "carries an amateur radio payload" really means "usurps amateur radio frequencies for non-amateur use for telemetry and telecommand on non-amateur satellites".
Let me make it plain. I have no objection to (and indeed, I support) satellites being launched for educational reasons. I suppose that I really don't even object to the HamSat frequencies being used for non-ham purposes, seeing as WE aren't using those frequencies for anything much. But what are we gaining from playing this education card? The hope that occasionally, we can arrange the launch of some short lifespan, low range, fast pass, single channel FM bird that I get to shout callsign and gridsquare at for 6-8 minutes at a time, on a good day?
You know, I don't have 10M to spare, to pay for a HEO launch. If I did, I would. I might scrape together 10K to donate. But honestly now, why should I? Apparently there will never be another AO-13 for me (and "real hams") to enjoy, because such a bird will offer little opportunity for students.
But of course, I am nobody special, and not even an AMSAT member (I'll tell you why, if you want me to) so you can safely ignore my post.