--- On Tue, 28/8/12, Jim Jerzycke kq6ea@verizon.net wrote:
I think most American hams associate "cube sat" with "easy sat", which equals an FM satellite, like AO-51.
To me CubeSat equals Linear Transponder satellite. Not only have we had Delfi-C3 but in the coming months four CubeSats carrying linear transponders will be launched:
- Delfi-n3Xt - FunCube-1 - TurkSat-3USat - UKube-1
There is no technical reason why future CubeSats should be confined to the low 500-800 km orbits that are in the price range of the amateur community. A number of CubeSat missions planned for 2013 will test propulsion systems to raise the orbit.
With fold-out solar panels to boost power and propulsion we could in the coming years see linear transponder CubeSats in orbits high enough (1500-2500 km) to permit Intercontinental DX working.
If you want higher bands like 2.4 GHz just have a look at what Aeneas is doing. http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=9277
73 Trevor M5AKA