[sarex] FO-29 Digitalker

["Walls, Jim R" <WALLSJR@xxxxxxx>]

This may be something that has been discussed at length in the past, and if
so, if somebody would let me know, I'll drop it...

Is it just me or does it seem to be a waste of a perfectly good satellite to
have FO-29 spending most of it's time in digitalker mode?  According to the
latest ANS news, here is the schedule for FO-29 for the next few weeks:
> through Sept 21    		digitalker
> Sept 21 - Sept 22     		JA
> Sept 22 - Oct  4     		digitalker
> Oct  5   -  Oct  7     		JA

Gee, we get almost 2 weeks of "This is JAS2 - [and a couple notes]" , and
then a day or two of useful operation in JA mode, then right back into the
digitalker.  I'm not trying to step on someones toes here, and lord knows
FO-29 is lightly used, but if this is the kind of schedule it's going to
run, no one will even bother to check it's mode and it will never be used.
I would hate to see a perfectly good bird go unused when there is really
only one other linear transponder based satellite in low earth orbit (and
therefore, easy to work).

Any comments?

73
------------------------
Jim Walls - K6CCC
k6ccc@amsat.org
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