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Edward Cole wrote:
| It is obvious that there is a whole generation of Leo-FM sat users | that are clueless of what ham radio on a Heo linear-tranponder is | like. Although it must be harder than a cell phone since so many | cannot seem to figure out how to operate on the Leos...I would say it | is not "much" harder than using the local repeater.
Remember folks, if it isn't hard, we obviously shouldn't be encouraging it.
| I offer an analogy: Compare all the ham radio contacts that are done | on HF with the same number of folks trying to talk thru a single FM | repeater! First it cannot be done; second the attempt results in | total chaos with "big fish" eating the little fishes!
First, it can be done and it is done. Yes, on FM sats (and if everyone on HF was on a sindle channel) you can rarely have extended QSOs beyond call sign and grid square, but it can work, and it does work. AO-51's popularity proves that.
Also, if only "big fishes" work AO-51, there wouldn't be QRP or portable stations there. That is certainly not the case. I've done QSOs on AO-51 @ 5W into a mag-mount on my car. It worked fine.
- -- Ben Jackson - N1WBV - New Bedford, MA bbj <at> innismir.net - http://www.innismir.net/