Re: [amsat-bb] Newbies! Hard-Sats destroy AMSAT.

["Bruce Paige" <kk5do@xxxxxxxx>]

Date sent:      	Fri, 8 Jun 2001 23:53:45 +0100 (BST)
From:           	Trevor <m5aka@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject:        	Re: [amsat-bb] Newbies! Hard-Sats destroy AMSAT.
To:             	amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org, "Jens H. Jensen" <topcat@mail1.stofanet.dk>,
  	"Vince Fiscus, KB7ADL" <vlfiscus@mcn.net>

> Having only hard to use satellites means:
> - only the dedicated few use them
> - there are very few people to actually work on the sats
> - AMSAT membership plunges
> - there is no money to build new satellites
> - AMSAT ceases to exist
> 
> User friendly satellites (Mode A/B linear transponders) means:
> - lots of hams become interested in satellites
> - they LEARN by getting on the sats and improving their skills
> - there are lots of hams to work even on the microwave sats
>   as the newcomers work their way up
> - AMSAT membership rises 
> - theres lots more money available to fund new sats
> - AMSAT has a bright future
> 

i guess there will never be a demonstration of using ao-40 to a group of 
hams or your friends... thus no excitment about the new satellite to the non-
dedicated. wonder what would happen if someone gave a demonstration of 
ao-40 and those watching got interested in it. i wonder if they would get the 
equipment to work it. nah...probably not, it's too hard. 

after all, having half of a mode b station for uplink and spending less than 
$100 for the downlink is out of most ham's reach. 

why are so many people trying to make excuses. i have been envious of the 
hams in denmark and other european countries that regularly operate on 
5ghz, 10ghz and higher. they have lots of equipment for it and plenty is 
available. stateside, it isn't as popular (there are some using it but not as 
many as in europe). 

why not just launch a satellite that will be controlled by command stations, 
linked to the internet and you could talk over it from any computer in the world 
without any receiving equipment or antennas. gosh, couldn't get easier than 
that. wait a minute...lets see if we could cut out the satellite, save the money 
for something else and do it 100% over the internet instead... wait i think 
someone has already done that...shucks... it was a good idea though.

amsat membership will not rise simply because there is an easy sat or a 
hard sat. when so-35 was launched and had one of the best receivers and 
transmitters i have ever heard on a satellite, people did not get on the band 
wagon in droves and join amsat. when ao-27 was launched and put into 
amateur use, people did not race to join amsat. guess they did not think that 
these satellites were easy enough to work. when uo-14 was switched from 
commercial to ham use, people did not race to join amsat (probably because 
the satellite was very old and no one back then remembered it being 
launched so it doesn't count as an easy sat).

to me, aprs is very difficult. i tried to get it to work about 5 years ago and i 
could see people on my map, but could never get myself placed on the map 
and gave up. looks like the hard aprs is going to fail because you have to buy 
so much extra equipment (gps, tnc, cables, software) no one is going to use 
it and no one will join their organization. 

we really need to get all these suggestion people to join the board of 
directors, become an area coordinator and teach those in their area how to 
use the satellites, or design something for the satellites that will make them 
state of the art. many like to chin wag, but few really do anything. 

73...bruce



============================================================================
Bruce Paige, KK5DO                    Internet: kk5do@arrl.net 
Houston, Texas                                  kk5do@amsat.org 
AMSAT Awards Manager                            kk5do@amsatnet.com
ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE                     
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