... GEO systems... will seem rather ordinary. Any ham capable of pointing an antenna to a fixed spot can become satellite active.
What is needed for this new opportunity is encouraging the mind set of many AMSAT members towards community service and emeregency preparedness. Just pointing a dish on demand, in crisis, where needed may not be all that easy. The trusty and valuable OM's that show up for most public service events with their trusty IC-2AT's may not be ready for satellite operations.
I am thinking AMSAT (we) need to do more emergency service preparations and tests with our satellites. Not only will that test our capabilities, but we will also need to demonstrate our emergency response capabilities as a group to help sell the nw P4 concept to the supporters of this new Geo initiative.
Can we work up a SSET, Satellite Simulated Emergency Test? Something AMSAT can do to get this bandwagon rolling. Here's a web page on what I am thinking:
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html
SATELLITE SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST:
For the APRS satellites, everyone with an APRS station, or D7 or D700 would try to send an EMAIL reporting location and status via satellite from the field.
For the PACSAT message birds, similarly send a message reporting status from the field.
For the FM and linear birds, have a net control take check-in status from as many field stations as possible.
I hope I'm not not re-inventing someone's wheel. SET was in October and I am not a routine satellite operator, but I do think we need field preparedness. This is not another Field day contest. But this is different. We will have good powerful net controls taking as many low-power check-ins as possible to demonstrate our capability to handle emergency traffic from anywhere. By my count, there is a LEO satellite pass on average at least once an hour most of the day long. Plenty of time during a 2 day test for eveyone to checkin.
With PCSAT-1 returning to service for the next two weeks, I would propose to do this during the 2nd week in November. And to schedule it monthly from then on. Sign up net controls for the FM birds, etc...
Field Operations IS part of this new P4 opportunity. Lets start exercising...
And you can do this all from your mobile without a PC!
See my draft web page... http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/sset.html
Bob, WB4APR