Yes,
It is a great project and deserves our full support!
Having said that we also need to realize, that depending on the location of the satellite above the equator we might only have the Americas in the foot print. No Europe or Africa and no Asia. Since the first geostationary satellite with amateur radio has to provide tangible support for government agencies (funding source) it will certainly be primarily centered around a North American footprint. That's why we need to keep Eagle alive and support Phase 3E.
All together they will give us the full package of worldwide DX via satellite and reliable high power communication in the Americas.
73. Stefan VE4NSA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of John Marranca, Jr Sent: October-30-07 3:59 PM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Phase 4
Say it isn't so.
Say it's just a dream....
Just this past weekend, I was reading an OLD QST from 1974 that had mentioned the notion that AMSAT wanted a geo-synch satellite by 1975. How amazing. The thought was kicked around on a local AMSAT 2-meter net in the early 1990 (back during the Mode K days of yore).
Imagine...ULTRA RELIABLE DX...24 hours per day. Those with antenna restrictions or home-owner's covenants could be QRV. And if the up/down links were UHF and above, a pair of helices could be used INSIDE, pointing through a window....
Just a thought, though. What about our European and Asian friends? Could facilities be included so that geo-synchs over their respective footprints could be linked? Or possibly the satellite being "parked" over an area that could include the US and Europe? I realize that it is all dependent on the space that the host bird has.
This is truly exciting!
John KB2HSH
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John Marranca, Jr PBX Technician/Shop Steward CWA Local 1122 BN Systems, Inc Orchard Park, NY (716)972-2006 _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb