About 12 years ago, I was really into amateur radio satellites (the analog birds). I always wanted to try the PacSats, but I was a college student, and could not afford all of the necessary hardware. I tried to do it in software (and ended up falling in love with Linux). Now I have a good source of income, and was looking into dabbling in the PacSats, but looking at the Amsat website, it looks like none of the old birds are up. So are there any plans to restore store and forward messaging capability in future ham radio birds? Is this currently still possible and I am just missing something?
Thanks, Chris Maness KQ6UP
Chris,
Like you, I really enjoyed the old digital birds. However, the interest in that has fallen off. AO-51 did have a very nice system, and a few other satellites have had more traditional Packet BBS capabilities. The interest just does not seem to be there, when the old satellites died, there were not replaced.
73s,
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Chris Maness Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 9:56 PM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] What Happened to the PacSats?
About 12 years ago, I was really into amateur radio satellites (the analog birds). I always wanted to try the PacSats, but I was a college student, and could not afford all of the necessary hardware. I tried to do it in software (and ended up falling in love with Linux). Now I have a good source of income, and was looking into dabbling in the PacSats, but looking at the Amsat website, it looks like none of the old birds are up. So are there any plans to restore store and forward messaging capability in future ham radio birds? Is this currently still possible and I am just missing something?
Thanks, Chris Maness KQ6UP _______________________________________________ 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
I've been wondering if the issue is not lack of interest but lack of education and marketing. If newer hams were to see and understand the benefits of a store-and-forward PacSat, I believe you'd see a level of support as strong as days passed. I have been playing with terrestrial packet and digital modes for 20 years and the thought of exchanging messages via satellite excites me. Unfortunately I did not partake in the PacSats' capabilities when they were functional.
73 Clayton W5PFG
On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 1:24 PM, Alan P. Biddle APBIDDLE@united.net wrote:
Chris,
Like you, I really enjoyed the old digital birds. However, the interest in that has fallen off. AO-51 did have a very nice system, and a few other satellites have had more traditional Packet BBS capabilities. The interest just does not seem to be there, when the old satellites died, there were not replaced.
73s,
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Chris Maness Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 9:56 PM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] What Happened to the PacSats?
About 12 years ago, I was really into amateur radio satellites (the analog birds). I always wanted to try the PacSats, but I was a college student, and could not afford all of the necessary hardware. I tried to do it in software (and ended up falling in love with Linux). Now I have a good source of income, and was looking into dabbling in the PacSats, but looking at the Amsat website, it looks like none of the old birds are up. So are there any plans to restore store and forward messaging capability in future ham radio birds? Is this currently still possible and I am just missing something?
Thanks, Chris Maness KQ6UP _______________________________________________ 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
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
Hi Chris,
The golden days of the Pacsat Store/forward operations appear to be gone for now, if not for good...I am still addicted, and wish everyday for a rebirth...
The old pacsat birds are up there, just not functional. For a while a few years ago, we had AO-16 running in voice mode (FM up, side band down)! That was fun. But it only works when the bird is warm from full sunlight--which won't occur for like 10 more years...sigh.
LO-19 emits a very low level carrier (most can't see it, or deny it's there...but it is ;) ) WO-18 is like AO-16--transmitter won't stay on. IO-26 is stuck in bootloader mode, emitting bursts of telemetry from time to time.
Now, the GOOD news--read about Delphi3C and ISIS. There is some digital downloading/telemetry that will be available perhaps by the end of the year on a few new birds. Then, add Fucube-1 and -2, and there will be more digital telemetry to collect.
But the Pacsat BBS operations as you remember them don't exist now. But there IS a lot of telemetry to be collected. The good news is that many of these will be using software based modems, available free of charge!
73,
Mark N8MH (admitted digital nut)
On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 10:55 PM, Chris Maness chris@chrismaness.com wrote:
About 12 years ago, I was really into amateur radio satellites (the analog birds). I always wanted to try the PacSats, but I was a college student, and could not afford all of the necessary hardware. I tried to do it in software (and ended up falling in love with Linux). Now I have a good source of income, and was looking into dabbling in the PacSats, but looking at the Amsat website, it looks like none of the old birds are up. So are there any plans to restore store and forward messaging capability in future ham radio birds? Is this currently still possible and I am just missing something?
Thanks, Chris Maness KQ6UP _______________________________________________ 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
There are still the aprs sats like iss pcsat go-32 and maybe some more I forgot. offcourse this is direct digpeating and not store and forward but can still be a lot fun.
73 Andre PE1RDW Op 4-1-2012 20:27, Mark L. Hammond schreef:
Hi Chris,
The golden days of the Pacsat Store/forward operations appear to be gone for now, if not for good...I am still addicted, and wish everyday for a rebirth...
The old pacsat birds are up there, just not functional. For a while a few years ago, we had AO-16 running in voice mode (FM up, side band down)! That was fun. But it only works when the bird is warm from full sunlight--which won't occur for like 10 more years...sigh.
LO-19 emits a very low level carrier (most can't see it, or deny it's there...but it is ;) ) WO-18 is like AO-16--transmitter won't stay on. IO-26 is stuck in bootloader mode, emitting bursts of telemetry from time to time.
Now, the GOOD news--read about Delphi3C and ISIS. There is some digital downloading/telemetry that will be available perhaps by the end of the year on a few new birds. Then, add Fucube-1 and -2, and there will be more digital telemetry to collect.
But the Pacsat BBS operations as you remember them don't exist now. But there IS a lot of telemetry to be collected. The good news is that many of these will be using software based modems, available free of charge!
73,
Mark N8MH (admitted digital nut)
On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 10:55 PM, Chris Manesschris@chrismaness.com wrote:
About 12 years ago, I was really into amateur radio satellites (the analog birds). I always wanted to try the PacSats, but I was a college student, and could not afford all of the necessary hardware. I tried to do it in software (and ended up falling in love with Linux). Now I have a good source of income, and was looking into dabbling in the PacSats, but looking at the Amsat website, it looks like none of the old birds are up. So are there any plans to restore store and forward messaging capability in future ham radio birds? Is this currently still possible and I am just missing something?
Thanks, Chris Maness KQ6UP _______________________________________________ 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
Hi Chris
IMHO Pacsat interest decrease at same rate internet connections increase. By early 90's, electronic messaging was something new, and not available to ordinary people, like us hams. But now we can do it almost anywhere in the world, for an infinite fraction of the price, with minimal equipment. We no longer need radios, antennas, pre-amp, az/ev rotators, trackers, PC running 24h, etc. No more need to wait for a 15 min pass, stay in queue, miss our turn, go back to the end, and wait for the the next pass for the remaining 1 kb to complete the file... Yes, it was fun (specialy to built and leave the station working unatended), but those days are over! Sorry.
73 F.Costa, CT1EAT http://ct1eat.no.sapo.pt
----- Mensagem original ----- De: "Chris Maness" chris@chrismaness.com Para: amsat-bb@amsat.org Enviado: terça-feira, 3 de Janeiro de 2012 3:55 Assunto: [amsat-bb] What Happened to the PacSats?
About 12 years ago, I was really into amateur radio satellites (the analog birds). I always wanted to try the PacSats, but I was a college student, and could not afford all of the necessary hardware. I tried to do it in software (and ended up falling in love with Linux). Now I have a good source of income, and was looking into dabbling in the PacSats, but looking at the Amsat website, it looks like none of the old birds are up. So are there any plans to restore store and forward messaging capability in future ham radio birds? Is this currently still possible and I am just missing something?
Thanks, Chris Maness KQ6UP _______________________________________________ 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
participants (6)
-
Alan P. Biddle -
Andre -
Chris Maness -
Clayton Coleman W5PFG -
Francisco Costa, CT1EAT -
Mark L. Hammond