At 10:02 PM 1/24/2007, Roger Kolakowski wrote:
Eric discovered...
"...and apparently the ISS is not a satellite."
Hi Eric...
AMSAT has never considered ISS as a satellite and has always maintained the SAREX Board and discouraged crossposting so that no-one gets confused and thinks that it has satellite "status."
Dear Friends,
I think there is a little confusion here.
From AMSAT's Glossary of Terms, the definition of an amateur satellite is an;
"..amateur communications relay station orbiting above the earth"
Therefore, it is very clear that a contact between an earth station and an astronaut on the ISS is NOT a satellite contact It does not matter if it is packet or FM or SSTV. It is a contact with an aeronautical station. ARRL and AMSAT are completely consistent on this.
On the other hand, a contact between two earth stations that use a transponder that happens to be on the ISS is clearly a satellite contact. Again, it does not matter whether it is packet or FM.
I believe PCSAT-2 was denied an OSCAR number because it was just another payload on board the ISS, it is not an autonomous satellite. Just as you would not give separate OSCAR numbers to AO-51's Mode V/U and mode L/S transponders since they are just additional payloads.
On the other hand, contacts through PCSAT-2 certainly count as satellite contacts. This is also clearly AMSAT policy. From the AMSAT web site::
"...there is no requirement for an OSCAR number to be assigned to a satellite in order for it to be legitimately recognized and used in the amateur satellite service."
I think the major point of confusion for many people is that a contact with a manned spacecraft does not count as a satellite contact because it is not a relay station and ARRL and AMSAT both agree here.
73, Tony AA2TX