RE: [amsat-bb] Ok, so what's available in Mode A

[Michael Rudzki <kf8bex@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was referring to all the anti-Mode-A posts that were passed along here 
quite awhile ago, when the question of future satellites was brought up. 
AO-27 (and AO-21 for those of us who were lucky enough to use it) are 
terrific satellites for those hams who were interested in satellites, but 
lacked the all-mode equipment for Modes A, B, J and S or the license 
for Mode-K. These are (were) great satellites for beginners. Unfortunately, 
in many cases, the beginners have to sit through half the pass (or more), 
listening to people who are regulars, just saying "hi" to each other. 

Both of these FM repeater satellites attracted the same problems. The 
people who were running low power were stomped by others who ran 
beams and 25+ watts (or maybe I should say 100+ watts). I started a list 
of stupid things said over AO-27 by people who were regulars. That list 
ended when I heard one of those guys saying "Well, I'm defrosting my 
refrigerator now...my wife has everything out on the counter...maybe in 
a few hours we'll clean it out, start it up and put everything back." It made 
me sick to think that this drivel was being repeated through one of the 
nicest beginners satellites we have, blocking others who may have been 
trying for days or weeks to get into that thing. 

The problem with the FM repeater satellites start when a few people begin 
to monopolize every pass for weeks, months or years on end. They feel 
obligated to say an exclusive greeting to everyone they know and hear on 
the downlink...to the detriment of the beginners and lower-power operators. 
This is not exclusive to AO-27, though; it also happened with AO-21.

The truth is, neither mode is better than the other (although I am partial to 
Modes A, K and T), and none of the modes can be considered "old" or 
"out-dated". I was very pleased to hear so many people excited to have 
RS-13 back in Mode-A. Everyone has to start somewhere and usually with 
modest equipment. If their interest is piqued, then they can (should) upgrade 
to transponder-type satellites. Transponder-type satellites can accommodate 
every type of operator, rag-chewer, DXer, WAS-seekers and even beginners. 
Common courtesy should be the first rule of satellite operating, especially 
on the FM sats. 

73 

Mike, N8MR
Attempting to put out the fire before it goes too far...






At 04:54 PM 1/10/99 -0000, you wrote:
>	I disagree totally with the statement below!  One listen to the hash of
stations trying to just get a callsign through the mess on AO-27 compared to
the multiple "real contacts" of a mode A satellite will prove this.  An FM
repeater, orbiting or not, does not provide the opportunity of a
transponder... ever.  It has been said that the only way to get a contact on
AO-27 is to use enough power and antenna to totally capture the satellite.
Not in the spirit of ham radio.  It isn't hard at all to work mode A, even
on the busiest passes, there is room enough for 10 QSOs or more.  Now I ask
you, which one better serves the needs of the "community"?
>I am not against AO-27 type birds, but not to the exclusion of AO-12/13
birds either!  Ask yourself, what would P3D mean to you if it could only
support ONE QSO at a time?  Hmm?
>
>
>Vy73,  Mike.  KD9KC.  MARS: AAV6EV
>kd9kc@whc.net    -    kd9kc@amsat.org
>Home  page:   http://www.qsl.net/kd9kc/
>El Paso, where the sun spends the winter.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Michael Rudzki [SMTP:kf8bex@oeonline.com]
>Sent:	Sunday, January 10, 1999 3:35 PM
>To:	Tim Hynde
>Cc:	amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
>Subject:	Re: [amsat-bb] Ok, so what's available in Mode A
>
>With all the previous postings about our need to have more and more 
>FM repeater satellites, one would have thought that Mode-A satellites are 
>an ancient technology, a thing-of-the-past and that we should look toward 
>the future...to FM repeater satellites
>
>

Mike
kf8bex@oeonline.com

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