Re: [amsat-bb] Satellite control via Iridium?

["Robert Oler" <cvn65vf94@xxxxxxx>]

Thanks for the interesting info in both your messages, Robert.  It
then seems that there are no real technical show-stoppers?

73 de ZR1CBC, Johann.
<<

Hello Johann...sorry for the late reply.

The only show stopper we found with Iridium was that as the orbit of the 
vehicle got "higher" you flew through the "patterns" of the Iridium sats 
much faster.  We came up with some fixes for that...data storage for 
example...but that moved us to focus on GlobalStar and ICO as our primary 
suppliers. Because all our stuff was centered on ISS.

With those groups there were really no showstoppers.  There were just no 
customers.  We had a "bird" that had the demonstrator built which would have 
flown a test project, our little group had tested a brassboard demonstration 
that "simulated" the doppler of a LEO with Globalstar (they gave us the 
transciever)--it wasnt a problem.  The problem was that there wasnt any 
customers.  WE did a lot of things....we demonstrated a "MIR" earth station 
for JSC that came in A LOT under the price that they ultimatly paid for the 
turkey that they actually built (which does nothing now)...I drive past it 
occassionaly and some of its elements have fallen off.   But if you are not 
one of the chosen contractors...then you dont get the business.

The place where amateurs in my opin need to huddle is Bob B's PCSAT and the 
various follow on versions of it.  If I were "King" and I am not the Federal 
government would rescue Globalstar and some of the other semi LEO's for 
various projects (mostly but not all military) and would fund a lot of PCSAT 
follow ons.  If you take SpaceNews I recommend that in a recent OP Ed that 
they published.

In amateur radio I  would argue for a series of AO-10/13 birds and a LOT of 
PCSATS.  I would never do another AO-40 bird again....its like the shuttle 
to many eggs in one basket and really most of them didnt hatch.  There are 
just some goals that are silly and one of them is world wide comm with not a 
lot of antennas.

Bob Bruniga (I probably got your last name wrong Bob) is one of the leading 
lights in the satellite amateur radio hobby "industry" and trust me that 
statement is not made to simply ingraciate myself to him..we really disagree 
on some subjects like the shuttle...he has essentially told me to get lost 
on this board...but he's a bright guy who cares for amateur radio.

He is a bright guy with a good message.  Hams should hear it. PCSAT is more 
the future of ham radio in space then AO-40 knock offs are.

Robert G. Oler WB5MZO

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