[amsat-bb] S-band on Eagle

[John Mock KD6PAG <kd6pag@xxxxxxxxx>]

I'm too busy with other things to read AMSAT-BB or digest Eaglepedia (or
whatever it's called).  Speaking only as an satellite QRPer, i do have a
naive question...

Various amateur satellites, such as AO-7, AO-13, FO-29, AO-40, and AO-51, 
have been programmed to operate in a variety of different modes. Generally
speaking a given frequency is usually an uplink or a downlink.  On Eagle, 
i believe we are contrained by size considerations in terms of antenna 
placement, so we can't put everything we like on that bird.

Assuming S band is not on all of the time, might it be feasible for it to
be switchable between being an uplink or a downlink?

I see this as allowing newcomers to use existing and/or inexpensive S-band
downconverters some of the time, and others to use the wider bandwidth of 
S-band uplinks for digital experiments at other times.  This might also be 
a way of occupying our allocated S-band spectra enough of the time to make 
an impression on other users while still providing an easy path for people 
to get beyond mode J-FM.  And perhaps allow the kinds of experiments that i
really had hoped that would have happened with RUDAK in parallel with AO-40 
voice operations.
	               -- KD6PAG  (Networking Old-Timer, Satellite QRPer)


P.S. I was able to work AO-40 QRP via a pair of homebrew quagis. I'm looking
forward to doing something similar on P3E and Eagle.
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