On Thu, Feb 03, 2011 at 04:10:12AM -0500, Luc Leblanc wrote:
On 3 Feb 2011 at 7:53, Gordon JC Pearce wrote:
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same crowd that only ever use macros on PSK31 - "YOUR RST 599 599 HOW COPY? MNY THX FER QSO" - you may as well use Skype...
Gordon MM0YEQ
"you may as well use Skype..."
You can add also MSN chat, Twitter, Face Book all are related to the internet and many Hams leave amateur radio and they are now on the internet.
...
The focus put on KISS station in a way to recruit new satellite operator is not bad if this new operator goes beyond his KISS station IMHO.
Yes, but when I innocently asked if anyone had done a survey to see if this was happening, I was flamed unmercifully on amsat-bb. The answer I did get was "of course it does!". It would be nice to see a proper survey proving this is happening.
What is the motivation for some to operate on LEO satellite? The "exotic" mode and bands? The pleasure to achieve an OSCAR class station?
My initial motivation to getting on satellite was AO-40. That was exciting, very neat and a fun technical challenge. I did make it on AO-40 btw, I think I made at least one cw QSO before you folks broke it. ;-)
There is new modes actually growing DSTAR, DRM, DIGITAL VOICE (FDMDV) is this can be an alternative to those who wants something else? or will we be facing with this alternative, overcrowded single channel satellite pass? Where is the place for experimenting on the actual LEO fleet? Our licence was not created for "experimenting"?
The reality is, LEO is all we are going to be able to afford. I do not see the thousands upon thousands of amateurs willing to put up the $$ to put another HEO like AO-40, in the near future anyway. And yes AO-7 is still going, but is really sick sounding. The only short term realistic answer is more LEOs as I see it. But please, not another FM bird please. There is absolutely no reason we couldnt put a simple linear translator up and allow FM on one frequency, such as India does.
- 73 Diane VA3DB