Keith.
I delurk to note this. It will be entertaining to see if Eagle is built...ie if the money shows up for it...and then it will be entertaining to see how many pony up for the specialized radios the special modes are going to take. A lot of the latter will dependon what the cost are.
The fact that the birds get more complicated and die quicker (well AO-40 was certianly "less") will kill any serious traditional amateur radio manufactor from pushing the specialized gear. A startup or two might try the gear (particularly if AMSAT designs it) but odds are it will be virtually useless if the bird dies, which after AO-40 will be on everyone's mind.
It will also be interesting to see how P3E affects this, when it strikes me as very likely that P3E will fly...at some point. I sometimes look back on the AO-40 Easy Sat articles (well written by Steve Ford) and smile.
anyway intresting comments on your part.
Robert Oler WB5MZO/portable
Amsat Life member
Robert Oler WB5MZO Houston TX