Jeff,
I will second Bill's entire statement. With the advent of CubeSats, it feels as if a large RESET button which must be pushed. Now throw in ITAR, and there is a big metal box around the button which we need to find the key to open. ;) Glib comments not withstanding, these are issues which can't be finessed. However, there is in place a path which will over a reasonable period of time provide satellites we can use to communicate, develop and enhance university and institutional connections, and develop the pieces needed for a HEO satellite. The "beepsat" folks have not particular interest in a transponder, but imagine an off the shelf RF card which includes that as a standard feature. Remember that the technology used for these satellites can be scaled up for a larger and more capable satellite.
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill Ress Sent: 14 October, 2009 11:43 To: Jeff Davis Cc: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Let's Go!
Hi Jeff,
Many thanks for your appreciated words of support. The decision was very, very hard and I know we'll receive many slings and arrows for it, but while it sure wasn't our preferred project - it is a realistic one.
We all want a HEO or would even settle for a MEO but until someone can "show us the money" to get our satellite there, we're stuck in LEO, plain and simple.
I can tell you personally that one answer is to modify a LEO orbit. It's no at all easy but it is an intuitive alternate for a better orbit. I am also optimistic, given the papers on the subject at the Symposium, that creative thought will be given by AMSAT-NA on the subject. It's not an answer for next year or even five years out, but it's coming.
Regards...Bill - N6GHz
Jeff Davis wrote:
I want to offer 'hearty congratulations' to the BOD for the courageous decisions made at the recent Space Symposium. I can think of no headline more appropriate and welcome for this organization than the declaration, "We're going back to space".
Perhaps this decision to move forward with what we can do will also be what was needed to get the manufacturers to quit sitting on their hands and INNOVATE!
How many threads have been spawned on this BB by someone asking the question "what handheld should I buy to use AO-51"..?
The fact that the pat answer is that there aren't any - you need to check eBay for a 20 year-old model speaks pitifully of the ham radio marketplace in the 21st century.
Given the nature of LEO, portable operations are very common and going forward, will be even more so. Who among us wouldn't love a mobile sized transceiver that sported true simultaneous dual-band (VHF/UHF) operation and a continuously tunable VFO on FM in a 'satellite operation mode'?
What would it be worth if that radio also could record all pass data - and had a USB port that supported a memory stick so that everything received during a pass could stored on it for offline extraction and study later when you're back in the shack. It wouldn't even require an internal TNC to download telemetry data - the audio file could simply be played back (offline) on a PC and the telemetry decoded there.
There are bound to be hundreds of similar ideas and dreams of new gear, antennas, and interesting things to do at LEO - let's populate the BB with these sorts of things and look forward, not back.
I'm more than ready to turn to a new chapter and get back to shaping the future of ham radio in space.
Aren't you?
73 de Jeff, KE9V AMSAT-NA 28350 _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb