Re: [amsat-bb] about up-link frequency for next experimenters day

["Robert Bruninga" <bruninga@xxxxxxxx>]

REgarding the 28.140 MHz uplink

That frequency came about a year or more ago when
we were looking to design the PSK-31 transponder
for PCSAT2.  (which should have been in orbit by now)..
The issues were simple:

1) Their are numerous 10m radio kits for PSK-31 and
nothing would be better to get young students
involved in HAM radio better than the idea of them
building little HF transceivers like these PSK kits.

But the kits are XTAL controlled because for PSK-31
you only need to be on one frequnecy.  The kits are
crystal controlled on 28.120.   The kits will not tune
29.4 MHz, though they can swing to 28.140.

2) The entire 10m band 28 to 29.7 is authorized by the
ITU for satellite comms, though by gentlemens agreements
and the IARU, only 29.4 is reserved for space...

So after much debate pro/con on the subject and in
light of the fact that it is only 3 KHz of spectrum out of
a 1700 KHz wide band, and that the XTAL controlled
PSK-31 kits can swing their crystal as high as 28.140,
it was decided that for these few short tests of PSK-31
that to not eliminate the participation of those XTAL
controlled stations, that the test would be conducted
on 28.140 MHz.

Anyway, that was the decision process...
We could move the test to 29.4 to satisfy the
gentlemens agreements, in the short term, but
I would also like to debate the merits of changing
the gentlements agreements in the long term for the 
sake of this new 3KHz slice of spectrum...

de WB4APR, Bob
----
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