Satgen 645  Disappearing SatOps  by GM4IHJ  (BID SGEN645) 2001-08-04

In 1976 this writer started listening to radio amateur satellites
Oscar 6 and Oscar 7 mode A. At that time there were few if any regular
satellite operators in Central Scotland. By 1978 and newly licensed
the place to be was on the satellite bands which now featured several
other Scottish stations on mode A and mode B. But the real big change
in numbers did not come until the end of 1981 . When the arrival of
RadioSport satellites 5/6/7/8 began to provide hours of communications
possibilities , which inevitably brought on more satellite operators.
Oscar 8 was somewhat less popular. Being restricted in altitude . Its
footprint was too small for lengthy transatlantic qsos, while , its
mode 8J suffered because suitable receivers for its 70 cm downlink ,
were still a few years away. But for the next few years mode A users
had a succession of RadioSport satellites, continuing to this day with
the lone RS12 , getting old but still providing that absolutely
essential beginers route to space operation. Albeit without the
longer access period permitted by the very high flying earlier RS
birds. When 4 satellites each providing passes in range for up to 18
minutes , made up to 8 passes in range per day and with the stagger
between satellites generally allowed a summed total of up to 5 hours
or more of satellite access across the 24 hours of the day. A useful
pattern, were one could expect some orbits in range during a leisure
period with , best of all, lots of other operators there to talk to.
A bonanza augmented in 1983 by the arrival of Oscar 10 with its superb
long range DX potential. A situation which redoubled the number of
local operators.

However by 1990 things began to deteriorate and Scottish satellite
operators began to move on to other things. The promised " Ten metre
Band in the sky" , with or without sunspots, proved unobtainable.
Oscar 10 in a radiation intense orbit , lost its onboard house keeping
computer, became uncontrolable and eventually of little or no use as a
regular reliable and effective communications platform. Oscar 13
promised much , but soon lost several modes, suffered from appalling
spin modulation, eventually succumbing to a deadly decaying orbit.
Amsats efforts at Pacsat and Lusat failed to attract more than a
handful of users , and were eclipsed by the much more practical
Uosats. Although even they serve only a modest packet oriented
community. Noting that packet has not appealed to the majority of
radio amateurs , for whom person to person voice or cw is the
prefered mode.

Recent developements including scores of University and Academy
launches , plus AO40, have been an enormous disappointment. With the
whole complement providing less communications than a single RS12. So
no one should be surprised that Scottish satellites users rapidly
declined in numbers and are now back where they were in the days of
Oscar 6 , 24 years ago. Meanwhile reading the pre election notes of
candidates for the Amsat Board reveals no apparent concern at this
decline. Perhaps North America is different, but numbers heard on
satellites suggest that actual users are way down, there. Once touted
as the comms media for the world Amsats are declining into a mere
footnote in the history of Amateur Radio, and would be Board members
appear not to have noticed.