On 2021-11-06 19:04, Ashhar Farhan wrote:
Having worked the qo100 as well as LEOs, I can tell you that the elliptical orbit is no substitute for a geostationary sat. With qo100 i am on all the time, the antenna points in one direction at all times. It is GEO or bust. Get the money and get the GEO. It js worth the effort.
Ashhar,
Speaking only for my own interests:
I take the counter-argument; GEO is no substitute for LEO/MEO/HEO.
A GEO provides a static ground footprint and does not have the "chase" that the other satellite orbits provide. A GEO bird, to me, sounds like just another repeater-on-the-hill (except in space). No trans-Atlantic chases or coverage over the poles.
For the price of a GEO ride, AMSAT might be able to get dozens of other orbital rides spaced over many years. When the GEO bird breaks, that's it.
That said, there are many members in AMSAT who long for a GEO satellite and I do understand that need. Hopefully, we can get to a fleet that satisfies everyone.
--- Zach N0ZGO