Hi Steve,
I don't agree that "the more people that get a taste of satellites, the better". AMSAT will then turn from quality into quantity, with a high risk that it will get out of control (RF wise and launch space wise) with so many small sat projects.
Now everything is scattered into small satellites (mostly CubeSat) and the big satellites that can unite the international AMSAT community are pushed backwards into the big crowd. Every real AMSAT ham still knows about the AO10, AO13, AO40, FO20/29... even after they stopped working. I wonder how many will remember all those Cubes...
I would more like to see that people get interrested in the technology and try to get there ham license because of interrest in technology. Nowadays a license is not really needed, just a dongle and software and you can say you are working on satellites. Nice for students to get "a taste from the small cookies", but not to "have a big meal when you get more hungry", as there is not many big food available (big satellites).
I really support the idea to help newcommers, but in my opinion it is getting out of balance... (I believe due to the commercial and publicity value of those Cubes...)
73 de PE1RAH William Leijenaar
William, I have wondered about this, too.
I have come to think of these as seeds. Seeds that plant the idea of satellites in the heads of people and make them want larger, better (heo) systems.
They won't last that long, so the idea of RF pollution isn't really there. And, if the sat sub-band can have a section devoted to these cube sats such that they aren't everywhere, even better.
The more people that get a taste of satellites, the better.
--STeve Andre' wb8wsf en72