OK, I think I have an application idea that would apply to emergency comunications response.
Since this is a mostly one-way downlink satellite channel (that can be received with ANY FM receiver a vertical whip and a laptop with sound card), this means it can be fielded in the emergency area very trivially. The use of this channel would be to ACKnowledge the receipt of outgoing health and welfare traffic. I would propose that the MARS volunteers could manage this during an emergency.
Currently traffic from an emergency is usually one-way outbound, and all inboud health-and-welfare concern traffic is blocked to keep the channels open. But if this satellite broadcast channel was available, then outboud traffic could assign a code number to each outbond message and when that was delivered to the final recepient, then the code number coiuld be sent back over the satellite broadcast channel to confirm delivery. In addition, a few digits could also be appended to indicate typical responses from a pre-set response list.
So, for normal non-emergency times, the channel would be for Q-tweets to exercise the system. During emergencys, the downlink could be switched over to this emergency ack system.
Bob, WB4APR
-----Original Message----- OOPS! Wait! I have a very sharp DCI BANDPASS filter up there! Duh.... Ill try a different antenna this time!
Yep, heard it fine on an HT with a long whip.
Possible new AMSAT Application?
We may have access to two old TRANSIT navigation satellites with a 50 baud downlink at 149.985 (and 400 MHz).... My problem is, coming up with any meaningful application to use them for communications that would capture the interest of students, hams or volunteers in support of education, public service or emergency comms or just plain fun...
The total useful message capability is about 500 bytes transmitted every 2 minutes (at 50 baud). The uplink is very specialized and can ONLY BE DONE from one (or two) very special commmand stations.