[amsat-bb] Geostationary Satellites?

[Frank Grossman <71042.1303@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Andy... and others...

Interesting comments about the geosynch concept...

>>500-pounds of ballast<<

What a waste!  Hopefully we can learn ways to take advantage of such 
opportunities in the future!  So much mass would presumably allow us to put 
up something with considerably more juice than a picosat.  Of course it
wouldn't be easy or cheap to get the contractors and owners 
involved to integrate an amateur payload into their satellite.

Launching our own satellite from someplace like Tonga?  (A35-land to the DXCC 
buffs)  Do such opportunities exist?  Does tonga have a launch pad?

As for picosats at geosynch; the low power would be a problem, but if that's 
all we could squeeze in given the constraints involved, it still might be a 
great learning experience and demonstration.  Also, might digital signal 
processing make it possible for small stations to work it?  I understand that 
relatively modest stations can work EME now--a mode that was once the realm 
of monster dishes and big amplifiers.

That's my 2 cents... again!

73 to all,
Frank
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