Actually, the NASA pen story is a myth.
See http://www.thespacereview.com/article/613/1 or http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/the_million_dollar_space_...
And working split under pileup conditions is a pretty standard and proven radio operating technique.
73, Bob K0NR
McGrane wrote:
Hi bob- You must live in a bad area. My fellow amateurs always quieted down when they heard an astronaut calling someone. Seems like you and NASA are pretty set in your ways. Dont you think its time to let some others have their way with the space program? I remeber an joke I heard years ago; NASA spent a million dollars to develop a pen that would write in zero gravity...... the russians used pencils. I see no open-mindedness here. pat
On Fri, 11 Aug 2006, Robert Bruninga wrote:
Hello again- the astronauts will hear everyone calling whether its split or simplex operation so why not make it
simplex!
Because many of us live near inconsiderate operators that step all Over the downlink by transmitting on the uplink. Simplex is just not a good idea. The downlink should be separate from the uplink so that everyone can hear the downlink without interfererence from uplink stations.
Bob