James, I wont be investing in 3 gig equipment. If I had plenty of
money and lots of expertise all things would be possible. In the real
world it just don't work that way. You are trying to sell Amateur
Satellite service to the masses by offering them a chance to work
something that they can't use or afford. The time and expense that is
put into developing transponders that you can't buy a radio to work is
not practical. Do you know that Yaesu has withdrawn from the satellite
market? Kenwood offers the 1.2 gig module for there 2000 at a cost of
an additional $500.00 making that radio over $2000.00. That is it as
far as I know for off the shelf rigs for 1.2 gig. Downeast has a
upconverter for about the same cost as the Kenwood module. Now in the
real world that is a bunch to invest to add one band to your station.
Your comment concerning appliance operators sure wont endear many new
hams to Amsat. I have no formal training in electronics. I spent 25
years as a Deputy Sheriff and knew nothing
of ham radio or electronics when I got my ticket. Over the past 20
years I have learned a little
thanks to a bunch of wonderful skilled hams. Together with one of my
friends a RF engineer who retired from GE we built a 1.2 gig station
for field day a year ago out of a old Master III and a
signal generator. Got the contact and was mighty proud. I have
listened on L/u a few times since and have worked three contacts. If
the 3 gig flys I might decide to do the same thing. My point
is how many of those "appliance operators" are going to be able to do
the same. We are going to have another satellite with a bunch of
electronics that might get used by 10 people.
My since of adventure is tempered by my practicallity I guess.
On Mon, 2008-07-21 at 19:00 -0400, John Price wrote:
I for one am very opposed to the 3 and 10 gig transponder. I have seen
little or no interest in the 1.2 uplink. Folks are not willing to
spend $500.00 to work a transponder that is mostly quite and
could go away over night like 2.4 did with AO-40. Did anyone listen to
the L/u AO-51 on Field Day.
While V/u was jammed I worked the first station I heard on L/u and
there were maybe 5 others on that pass. I don't maintain 1.2 gig
equipment here. It is not worth the investment.
And what would be the trigger for you to invest in the equipment? There
is NO GAURUNTEES that any of these new birds will get to orbit in one
peice. Look at AO-40. She was a GREAT birds at the beginning, then
something happened and all we had were a couple of uplinks with one
downlink.
Where is your sense of adventure with experimenting with something new
and untested? How are you helping advance the Art of Amateur Radio and
Satellites if we are STUCK back in the stone ages with 2m and 70cm and
FM birds?
I for one would and have invested in the higher bands as I am also using
that equipment for Rovering and some contesting which I have found that
I really like. I also use this equipment to talk around my area/state.
This equipment with a little modification is can also be used for when
we have a HEO or GEO satellite in orbit.
I WANT more digital store-and-forward birds along with more Sideband
voice birds on bands OTHER than 2mand 70cm. Right now there is no
CHALLENGE in the current crop of satellites we have when all I can do
MOST of the time is get on and have enough time to get a GRID SQUARE
and a NAME/CALLSIGN of the person I am talking to. I want to be able
to hold a net where I can talk to a NUMBER of people and find out more
about everyone or ask for help and get it. I want to be able to send
video via these new birds of my latest project or of the 'kids' as they
operate. I want to be able to demonstrate what Amatuer radio is and can
do that the internet can't. I want to be able to TINKER on these new
birds with a new mode that I have either developed or have an interest
in. I want to be able to use that new microwave transverter for things
other than to talk to or see (video) locals.
Where is EVERYONES sense of experimentation or did we as amateur radio
operators/licenses leave that at the door when we got licensed or are we
just content with what has been done and happy to sit on our laurels
and let the world leave us behind as a group that WILL die out in about
twenty/thirty years as we don't have any NEW blood to carry on with the
experimentation, thinking, and tinkering? Are we going to let the
INTERNET be the thing to determine how and where we go as a group?
Everyone on here gripes about how the internet is taking away everything
what about how we are making things interesting to entice these people
in the hobby and into Satellites? Where is the challenge anymore? I
want to be able to EXPERIMENT on thse new crop of birds, not just sit
around on 2m and 70cm and make a couple quick qso's to exchange grid
squares!!!
Bill, I looked at your webpage and see that you MIGHT have a reason to
have new birds up and running other than just as a member that wants to
help out AMSAT through these trying times. I see no problem with that at
all as AMSAT has had others like you on the BoD before and they have
done a great job of not compromising their integrity as a Director. I
just don't see anything saying if you are a owner or an employee of this
company. Could you enlighten me and the others before I make a decision
on which three candidates are the best?
James W8ISS - a voting member that has issues with the current crop of
APPLIANCE OPERATORS on the amateur bands!!!
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
Bill Ress