All,
just my 2 cents: I think the project is rather interesting and I would be willingly to sponsor it with my $300 (thats the number I've read to sponsor my own personal sprite), if -
and thats a big if - I am able to receive and decode the signal with my average equipped Oscar station.
Something like : Here is the Kepler & Frequency of the Sprite 'cloud'. Track it with your high-gain low-noise UHF setup, record what you hear and then use software provided to siff thru the data stream to look for your personal sponsored sprite, transmitting the message you've submitted. That would be a cool thing to do / to have and would win me over for sponsorship.
But to sponsor one and then just 'take their word for it' that its up there and transmitting ? Thats not what the hobby is about IMHO.
BTW: Here is a picture of a prototype, in case you haven't seen it : http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20118335-1/send-your-own-satellite-into-...
Andreas - VK4HHH
________________________________ From: Bill Ress bill@hsmicrowave.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Tuesday, 11 October 2011 9:43 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: KickSat - a personal spacecraft of your own in space
Aaah Trevor, you raise another important issue!
It is the convention (I can't cite the international rules here) that all communication/telemetry satellites have the ability to be commanded off. Clearly the Sprites don't presently have that capability.
Additionally, I don't believe that just because they are in the unlicensed bands, that they would be permitted to use those bands in space. But I'm not clear here. Perhaps an experimental license could be granted to operate in space by our FCC but that would only be good over the US. Again the command/control issue comes into play.
I have had several emails with Zac and he's very receptive to getting our comments. I also encouraged him to forge ahead while trying to understand some of these sticky issues. His concept surely would push the envelope of current Amateur communications and satellite "art" and that's worthy of this efforts.
What will be interesting is the reported 10 mw telemetry beacon being used by SRMSAT, since that's the EIRP the Sprite is planning to have. So a "real" test at that power level is eminent. Good luck on the launch!!!
Regards...Bill - N6GHz
On 10/10/2011 3:07 PM, Trevor . wrote:
--- On Mon, 10/10/11, Tony Langdonvk3jed@gmail.com wrote:
Still seems a strange choice of frequency, given that GSM phones use these frequencies in many parts of the world.
ITU Region 1 seems to be moving closer to permitting unlicensed low power use, RFID etc, around 915-921 MHz but as you say the rest is mobile phones.
Given there is no mechanism to command these Sprite ChipSats so they are only on over the USA the use of 902 MHz would seem inapropriate.
73 Trevor M5AKA
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_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb