Re: [amsat-bb] Special Bulletin - new satellite

[Claudio Martins <ctpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 Gary, 

 As far as I'm concerned, I find this a very narrow vision of Amateur 
Satellite Operation. If satellites are only to talk to each other then why 
did we leave the HF radio bands at all? Why did we go to VHF and UHF. In HF 
you can have almost global coverage for long periods! 

  I thought HAM Satellites served to evolve communication technology and to 
present new challenges to hams. But instead I see that they only serve as a 
cheap alternative to cell phones?!

  Yes I know there will be other new experiments on board, but I think that 
including an FM repeater in the package is just going the wrong direction of 
evolution. Don't you see the hopless problems FM repeaters in orbit present?

FM repeaters are a bad practice in orbit: you are spoiling satellite 
operators, giving them this kind of payloads. Maybe someday you will regret 
these decisions when all operators are savage and ruthless as some are today 
on UO-14. And then perhaps AMSAT will put a new high tech bird with a fancy 
transponder on the air, and discover that it is all a confusion and no one 
can make a useful contact without being jammed because everybody is used to 
the FM repeater war, jam and mischief.

Would you like that all data on the internet in the Continental U.S. would 
pass through the same wire regardless of where it came from? Or that there 
was only one phone line for each State, so that all people would call at the 
same time?

 The more I think the less I understand this attitude. How can you people see 
the kind of technology that is being used today commercially and military, 
and then just walk away in other direction down to 1950? 
Amateur Radio Satellites used to be new communication experiments that many 
times gave birth to new widespread communication technologies. But now you 
want to turn them into orbiting museums. Think about it. This is not the way 
you are going to attract fresh new people for AMSAT membership.

And Gary, you should know that many times the most popular solution is not 
the best. And don't tell me that "if we force something else they will 
leave". If the thing you force is better, then that won't be true! See AO-40 
S band transponder. See PSK-31 on HF, etc

Best regards

Claudio

On Saturday 27 April 2002 05:50, Gary \"Joe\" Mayfield wrote:
> I don't want to argue, but I will stand in favor of it.  If you go out
> among the general ham population this is what they want.  If we force
> something else upon them they will leave.  There is definitely a great deal
> of support for this in the U.S.  The U.S. is a big part of AMSAT-NA, so it
> is only appropriate that this be taken on.
>
> I was under the impression there many advances to made and the FM was just
> part of the package.  I thought the bird is to have space for some cool
> digital stuff too..
>
> I used to be anti-FM satellite, but I have converted.  My conversion is
> based on the fact there is hardly anyone to talk to on the other birds.  I
> work the FO birds on occasion as well as AO-40, but the QSOs on these birds
> are much harder to come by.  There is at least one new guy a week to work
> on the FM birds.
>

----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org