Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT has a SECRET!

[Al Lawler <alawler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> 
> > agree with the satellite bands picked.  There are still a 
> > LOT of people who have 2m and 432 only.  Many people 
> > cannot afford the extra $$$ to buy downconverters or 
> > transverters after purchasing an FT-847 or similar.  I
> > urge the BOD NOT to drop any bands.
> 


  Who needs an ft847?  A preamp, drake converter, ten-tec 2m-10m 
transverter and a radio-shack 10m rig works for the downlink.

  The uplink can be done with something similar on 440 into
a KLM 40cx hack-sawed in half (and split the cost with your neighbor...
:^)


  My first AO-13 reception was on an old ft101EE/2m transverter with 
a cushcraft 11-el 2m linear FM beam that I added 11 elements to, then
added a 
preamp to.  (And yes - I heard the transponder noise-floor on ao-13
when the squint was good.)

  Yes - the microwave stuff "costs money" but the good news (really)
is that the current crop of big-bucks satellite rigs offer very little 
advantage over what you can cobble together yourself with lesser
equipment.   

  If I had to summarize AO-40  cost distribution, I'd say that the
cost has moved from the desktop to the antenna mast, but it certainly
hasn't increased...  (And the antenna sizes for a GOOD recieving
setup are approaching what can be succesfully loaded on a pair
of TV rotators...) 

  And more importantly, in my case,  after 20 years of hamming, 
I'm actually learning something while I try to get my "microwave" 
station running.  

  -al
  WB1BQE




"Michael P. Olbrisch" wrote:
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org [mailto:owner-AMSAT-BB@AMSAT.Org]On
> > Behalf Of Simon Lewis
> > Sent: Friday, June 01, 2001 6:10 AM
> > To: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
> > Subject: RE: [amsat-bb] AMSAT has a SECRET!
> >
> >
> >
> > > agree with the satellite bands picked.  There are still a
> > > LOT of people who have 2m and 432 only.  Many people
> > > cannot afford the extra $$$ to buy downconverters or
> > > transverters after purchasing an FT-847 or similar.  I
> > > urge the BOD NOT to drop any bands.
> >
> >
> > Given the success of stations now monitoring and using AO40
> > with a variety of modified equipment, I'd consider that a past
> > fallacy!
> 
> Dunno... I don't have any microwave equipment, nor can I
> afford it just now.  I am not retired or independently wealthy.
> Neither are the three other hams and teens that are interested
> in starting on satellites.  You got your P3D, now you want to
> cut out the beginners?  AO-40 is nothing more than a gross
> disappointment to the majority of hams I know.  The promise
> of easy simple satellite communications went out the window
> with the disaster.
> 
> > Ao40 has shown that the microwave links ARE the future
> 
> of a dwindling elitist group of operators who like an extra
> class licensee have theirs and do not want anyone else up
> there with them.  Too many eggs in one basket I guess.
> 
> >and AMSAT-NA should make that choice. Time to bury this
> > insistance from the US for V/U links on P3 type satellite.
> 
> And build a satellite for a few operators that can afford the
> equipment at the loss to the rest of the amateur community.
> Makes sense to me.
> 
> Vy73,  Mike.   KD9KC    MARS: AAV6EV
> kd9kc@elp.rr.com  -  kd9kc@amsat.org
> Home page: http://www.qsl.net/kd9kc/
> 
> El Paso, where the sun spends the winter.
> 
> 
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