On 02/01/21 13:22, Brad Smith via AMSAT-BB wrote:
How many of us would rather see a couple of FM birds put into orbit, rather than the difficult to work satellites?
Therein lies the rub: What is difficult for you may be simple for someone else.
My experience on the FM satellite is much less rosy than yours. I mostly hear a bunch of squeals, noise, and one station occupying the pass. I'll give you that I only monitored them briefly before deciding the linear sats were where I wanted to spend my time.
The linear satellites offer an opportunity for tens of stations to complete SSB QSOs, simultaneously, or hundreds to work CW contacts. Additionally, power-efficient digital modes can also be sent through the transponder, with appropriate respect for power utilization across the entire band.
You can get started on the linear sats with a cheap SDR dongle, LNA, and an FT-818 for about $700 total. Not much more than a couple of quality HTs, and you can sell one of those HTs and use the 818 instead!
So, you see that it all depends on your likes. It is my vote that we provide satellites that have _both_ capabilities and include even more bands to keep our spectrum fully utilized. That's the mission of the GOLF series!
--- Zach N0ZGO