[amsat-bb] s-band for cheap?

hi everyone as some of you might know I'm a little cash strapped as I'm trying to do everything off a student budget. I'd like to be able to get onto the s-band downlink for AO-51 and some of those future birds that are coming...however it would appear that it is a little cost inhibitive. All the converter/transverters I found seem to be in the $300-$400 and i just don't have the money to do that. Will I just have to only work the birds when they're in v/u or is there a cheap way to do things? thanks -Steve VA3SAX