Hello,
Newer technology and more advanced modes can be made available for experiment, either simultaneously, on (say) bands L, S, C, etc, and also on more accessible bands (U, V) by having the bird switch mode accordingly ... As far as meshed networks ...
Like these designs?
Proposed in 2003 - http://www.cnssys.com/files/amsat/cc_amsat.pdf Proposed in 2004 - http://www.cnssys.com/files/amsat/cc-revisited.pdf Proposed in 2006 - http://www.cnssys.com/files/amsat/SDX_and_Future_AMSAT_Missions.pdf
Thing is ... everyone knows we've been looking for a suitable launch since the dates of these papers. Other cool designs live in the Symposium Proceedings for AMSAT-Eagle and the Phase IV GEO-Rideshare projects.
Some of the good old days are archived in the "Historical AMSAT-NA Symposium Proceedings" - http://www.klofas.com/amsat_symposium/
-- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm@amsat.org