[amsat-bb] Eagle Disappointment

["Jim Kelly" <skeptic49@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In the current issue of the AMSAT journal (September/October 2002) that just
came in the mail today I read in Dick Jansson's (WD4FAB) cover article that
while the Eagle will have one 2 meter transmitter (and redundant S band
transmitters,) the Mode V downlink will only be useable at low altitudes +/-
50MA either side of perigee. Sure, that's 40 percent of the orbit but it's
the dregs.

This is not what I had been told by Mr. Haighton that we would build as a
follow up high orbiter. He assured me previously that the old Mode B would
be an essential ingredient in any new high orbiting bird. I thought we were
going to attempt is something along the lines of an AO-10/AO-13 clone -
something with a Mode U/V transponder as TOP PRIORITY.

Sorry, but this design concept doesn't do it for me. I'm as much a booster
of S band and higher frequencies as the next guy, but the next bird must
promise the capabilities and activity levels seen on AO-13 if AMSAT expects
to generate the wide spread financial support that is needed.

Jim Kelly, ARS KK3K, AMSAT #22420
http://home.earthlink.net/~skeptic49/

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