SNIP
Honestly, if somebody has put a 45 kg amateur satellite into a 1,500 km
plus orbit and has NOT included a
transponder,
<<SNIP
There seems to be a proliferation of satellites using the Amateur bands as cheap down link frequencies, and using Radio Amateurs as a cheap way of collecting their data. It is MY personal belief that a satellite should only use our hard-earned and much coveted frequencies if they REALLY do carry an Amateur Radio payload... I.E. a Transponder! , or, at the end of their commercial life, should be put to real amateur use, I.E. a Transponder, promised several times but not often delivered.
OK there are many out there who get satisfaction from getting signals from anything that is orbiting, to them, I raise my hat BUT.. if it is in an amateur band, it should be a REAL amateur satellite.
This is my view, and I stand here to be shot down.....