Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Pro FM birds! ~ C.B., Etc.

[ke9v@xxxxxxx]

I prefer to think that the reason "they" don't do it on 
SSB/CW on satellites is that in order to work those 
modes requires some commitment. An AO-40 class 
groundstation requires some investment in equipment and 
antennas as well as in time and effort to get it all 
working.

And someone who has gone to the trouble and expense of 
setting up a decent AO-40 class station is much less 
likely (IMHO) to cause deliberate interference than some 
LID who happens to own a dual band handheld and thinks 
jamming a satellite is a sport.

We should all recognize though, that despite having a 
flying, single channel, FM repeater that blankets 1/3 or 
more of North America at a time, the system works 
remarkably well. 

Enjoyable contacts are made on nearly every pass and 
operators are obtaining WAS, VUCC, etc. despite the 
limitations and I think that is a tremendous testimony 
to the tenacity and operational prowess of those who 
enjoy the FM birds.

We also shouldn't forget that from the time that AO-13 
flamed out in 1996 to the time that AO-40 became 
operational (2001) was a long, long time. For many 
operators, the FM sats were the only game in town and it 
might very well be, that without their dedication to 
this segment of the service, the satellite world might 
have declined to an unrecoverable point

The FM birds have never been my cup of tea and it's easy 
to set back and point out the faults of such a wide 
area, single channel FM repeater, but my hat is off to 
those ops who have kept the candle burning through their 
efforts!

73, Jeff KE9V
> to listen.  The reason they don't do it on the  SSB/CW birds is because
> people can 
> move around and get away from them.  Also they can pick on one QSO to QRM
>  but
> the rest of the users are spared  the aggravation.  
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