I am considering dropping the AMSAT verbose keplerian elements from the weekly AMSAT KEP distribution. This is the element set that looks like the following:
Satellite: AO-07 Catalog number: 07530 Epoch time: 15021.49149419 Element set: 174 Inclination: 101.5028 deg RA of node: 001.3581 deg Eccentricity: 0.0011670 Arg of perigee: 228.2064 deg Mean anomaly: 245.5090 deg Mean motion: 12.53610988 rev/day Decay rate: -1.6e-07 rev/day^2 Epoch rev: 83887 Checksum: 279
The NASA 2-line elements would continue being sent each week as they are now. In effect, the weekly email that you would recieve would consist only of the email entitled orbYYDDD.2l.amsat. The YY in the email title is the year (15 for 2015) and DDD is the Julian day of the year (022 for January 22nd).
The email entitled orb15022.amsat would NOT be sent.
Since we have been using email for over twenty years and have not been reading the keplerian elements on the air, the need for the AMSAT verbose elements has diminished over the years. Additionally all tracking programs, that I am aware of, will load the NASA 2-line elements. Finally, I have recieved requests to stop sending the AMSAT verbose elements as most people just do not use them at all.
I propose to stop sending the AMSAT verbose elements shown above, but to continue to send only the NASA 2-line (NASA TLE) elements for our weekly distribution. Please respond if you have a reason why this change should not be made. I will assume that no response indicates that you are OK with this change. No need to send me a "I'm OK with this change" response.
One more time, the weekly NASA 2-line element (NASA TLE) email will continue to be sent each week as per usual.