-------------------------------------------------- From: "Edward Cole" kl7uw@acsalaska.net
Satellite should rank right in with the digital, dsp, psk-31, aprs, innovators. Please add microwavers, eme'ers and qrpers to the active technical group. The reason that it appears that there is no innovation going on in ham radio is more due to lack of advertising by those special groups...they are having too much fun doing.
Satellites are probably the most visible technical group in ham radio! Its important that it continues to excite!
I would argue that digital mode developers / users and digital emergency comms groups are more active. As for advertising - I see more 'noise' from digital groups than satellite groups, but at the moment there's not an enormous amount of original development going on in the Ham satellite arena although there is more than enough to spark interest.
Add in the fans of weather satellites and similar who use David Taylor's programs and you're probably talking similar levels of interest.
On the other hand you can get going with almost all digital most for $100 or less (as long as you have a computer). Satellite operation to the same level is more expensive. FWIW over 50,000 distinct calls have been seen on digital modes over the last six months, see http://psk.gladstonefamily.net/cgi-bin/pskstats.pl .
Now back to the coding...
Simon HB9DRV