[amsat-bb] Re: IRB's and Satellites.

[Edward Cole <kl7uw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 02:59 PM 4/26/2007, Tony Langdon wrote:
>At 03:29 AM 4/27/2007, you wrote:
>
>
> >Perhaps this is all about goals then ... if your goal is to simply
> >communicate via a satellite, then the remote base concept is perfectly valid
> >and it has been demonstrated that it works.
> >
> >If the goal is to learn how to build a groundstation and then optimize it
> >for use with satellites, then I'm not sure this will do that (unless of
> >course you are the one building the station).
>
>I think you're right.  Goals are where it's at, and being in the
>other VoIP games in town (IRLP, Echolink and friends), I regularly
>encounter the same debate.  If my goal is to simply communicate via
>some (at least partly) amateur controlled medium, these modes and
>IRBs are fine, whether I have RF or a PC on my end.  OTOH, if my goal
>is to play with RF, investigate propagation and setup a working
>satellite ground station, then it's time to pull out some radio gear,
>antennas and rotators and put them on the air (though for long and
>complicated reasons, I'm also likely to interface that to IRLP or my
>own IRB, because where I have the best space to erect antennas is
>24km from where I mostly operate).
>
>
> >I see it like a calculator and a slide rule ... the calculator works great,
> >you just punch in some numbers and the correct result pops out. But the
> >slide rule allows one to see the underlying mathematics taking shape as it
> >is moved to the same answer.
> >
> >Which way is "better" must be self-determined.
>
>Exactly, horses for courses. :)
>
>
>73 de VK3JED
>http://vkradio.com

We have seen this debate here in Alaska with the '"diehard" (read 
this also as the super pro-CW) ham disliking anything dealing with 
marriage between the Internet and ham radio.  Remote base stations 
are a separate case in my opinion.  Hams have constructed remote base 
stations using all sort of linking technology.  I am fine with 
this.  I am an amateur radio astronomer and quite familiar with some 
of the Internet remote telescopes.  Its a great way for folks to 
participate in activity using equipment beyond their means.

So I have no problem with remote bases linked by IRLB, echolink, or 
like technology.  As long as any records, contest entry reflects the 
actual radio transmitter QTH.

How about a Lunar Remote Base?


73,
Ed - KL7UW
======================================
  BP40IQ   50-MHz - 10-GHz   www.kl7uw.com
144-EME: FT-847, mgf-1801, 4x-xpol-20, 185w
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