Quoting i8cvs domenico.i8cvs@tin.it:

----- Original Message ----- From: "Stefan Wagener" stefan_wagener@hotmail.com To: brobertson@mta.ca; amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 1:57 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] S band and Eagle: an appeal for more transparency (was Sband and Eagle: an appeal for a higher level discussion)

...

The main problem with the whole discussion is that the majority of

folks

...

have NOT seen the data. In addition, if the data are as sound as they

are

...

portrait, why is AMSAT-DL not believing in them and is including

S-band as

...

a downlink. How is the discussion between ANSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL going on this? 73, Stefan VE4NSA

Hi Stefan, VE4NSA

The reverse is true. If the result of the S band as a downlink on AO40 was extremely succesfull why AMSAT-NA is not believing in AMSAT-DL ? The decision of AMSAT-DL to reuse the S band for downlink of P3E is based on already experimented facts using AO40 and there is no question about that. Is someone in condition to demonstrate that the S band of AO40 was a catastrophical affair ?

Dom:

If I understand the argument from the Eagle Design Team, they are basing it on current and extrapolated conditions, not trying to make the case that AO40 S band was a bust, nor reusing the assessments of AMSAT-DL, which I assume were made a matter of years ago.

I would love to see the next year's issues of the Journal exploding with papers tackling this question. I expect Naples would be a super place (i.e. nice and noisey :-) in which to undertake some experiments that might refute (or possibly confirm) the Design Team's assessment.

Come to think of it, San Fran. would be a great place, too. Maybe some local folks who have access to the appropriate test equipment could stage some experiments at the symposium. It would be a great way to get some data for us to mull over. (If that happens, I'll have another reason to regret not being able to go to what sounds like a fantastic time.)

Brainstorming here: might wifi equipment provide a cheap test bed for such experiments? I'm not sure how well calibrated they are, but these devices often report noise level and signal level in dBm. Linksys wifi routers can be hacked with linux to make their signal strength adjustable. I suppose one problem could be that the card is designed to treat as signal that which we want to treat as noise, namely other wifi networks.

Don't worry about because if P3E will be succesfull in orbit at the end of 2007 than the S band as a downlink will be again the voice of truth.

If the timing were right, this could be a reasonable approach; but as I remember, the piece on AMSAT-DL entitled "Launches Speak Louder Than Words" put the earliest sure launch date in 2008. That might be too late to use P3E as a test-bed.

73, Bruce VE9QRP