Joe WB9SBD wrote:

a whole bird with one "Channel" seems like a HUGE waste. Cool? Yeah,, but single user uh,, nah.

Wayne W9AE replies:

AO-51 runs TWO transmitters most of the time. I'm NOT a big supporter of LEO FM satellites, and I definitely wasn't happy about the "bait and switch" after the first Eagle fund-raising campaign.

But in retrospect, AO-51 was VERY timely because it was launched shortly after the demise of UO-14. UO-14 was probably the most popular hamsat ever, measured by the number of ground stations who made contacts. Also, the AO-51 digital payload came online when we were down to (I think) only one, and sometimes NO working digital satellites.

In addition, AO-51's experimental modes help fill a vacuum while we wait for the next HEO/microwave satellite. We ground station operators get to dabble with bands V/S and L/S, and modes SSB/FM, and PSK/FM.

In general, I believe that the large AMSAT organizations (NA and DL) should concentrate on HEO satellites and let the universities and smaller AMSAT groups build LEO satellites. Satellites like VO-52 from AMSAT-India, and KiwiSAT from AMSAT-ZL.

Wayne Estes W9AE Oakland, Oregon, USA, CN83ik AMSAT Area Coordinator, President's Club Member