Just to summarize - right now, there are three serious HEO/GEO projects in progress:

1. Phase 4A is the S/X linear transponder payload on the Qatari Es'HailSat-2 scheduled to launch late this year. AMSAT-DL has done the work on the amateur payload. It will be in a geostationary orbit that is not visible to North America (26 degrees east). 2. Phase 4B is a planned C/X digital payload on a U. S. government satellite launching in the next few years. AMSAT-NA and Virginia Tech are involved with this. It will be in a geosynchronous, but not geostationary orbit over the Western Hemisphere. 3. Phase 3E in a Molniya HEO orbit. AMSAT-NA and Virginia Tech are involved with this. Transponder payloads TBD.

A global network of 3 linked geostationary satellites covering the whole world would be pretty neat, but I think we'll need people to see what we as a community can do with each of the two Phase 4 transponders planned right now before the support (read $$$$$) for such a thing would be available.

73,

Paul, N8HM

On Thu, Mar 24, 2016 at 2:30 PM, Jeff Moore [email protected] wrote:

I have been in the hobby for over 12 years now and I've played around a bit with working the sats, but I haven't been following the geosynchronous satellite activity very closely since I've seen how difficult it is to get launches of any kind.

Now that it appears that we are going to get to launch a satellite into geosynchronous orbit, I'm curious what the future may hold for that particular activity. For example, I think it's fantastic that we will soon have a sat in geo orbit, but I'm curious what if any plans are there to potentially put up 2 or 3 more geo sats with full time linking between them? That has the potential to give the ham radio community global communications via satellite.

Any thoughts or news on that front?? Or am I just not informed enough on existing plans?

Thanks and 7 3,

Jeff Moore -- KE7ACY Bend, Oregon _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb

On 3/25/2016 4:20 AM, Daniel Cussen wrote:

" The most realistic way would be internet/IRLP/Echolink based, although the Qatari may have slight overlapping coverage if a radio linking station was placed in East Brazil."

You must know the purest radio operators are now asking "Wheres the radio". You got to know the "hobby" has died the day you will be able to use such internet service for DXCC, WAS ect credit.

John, W0JAB