Happy Birthday AO-10

["Peter Guelzow" <pg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi everyone,

just to remind you:

AMSAT OSCAR-10, launched on 1983-06-16, is now 15 years old and
the 2m/70cm transponder still works nice!!   

AMSAT OSCAR-13, launched on 1988-06-15 would have been 10 years old by now.

I just heard myself on AO-10 with a beautiful signal from 33.000km away 
with only 10 Watts into a single MASPRO 70cm crossyagi... like in the old days..

23. May 1980, 18 years ago:  P3-A onboard ARIANE L02 crashed into the ocean, a total 
loss.. Some people announced that this would be the end of AMSAT. Nobody would ever 
have believed that after only three years of building, another satellite (P3B, AO-10) would 
have been launched! Imagine the enthusiasm by those people who build P3A and who did 
not gave up after the disaster. There was also a great solidarity and support from the whole
ham radio community, which motivated the makers even more.. With P3C launched a few 
years later, the P3 program was very successful too..

The news about AR503 are sad. But keep the above in mind, we still have a satellite and we 
all are still highly motivated. Most of us have spent so much work and time of their life to 
build the satellite for everyone, we will not just sit down and scream. We will continue!

Head's up!  There is a future after AR503!!! 

73s de Peter, DB2OS