[amsat-bb] Re: S band interference solution

[Robert McGwier]

Dear AMSAT friends:

I would like to thank all of you for your wonderful positive support.  I 
am on the 100-th hour I have given to AMSAT this week.  In the next 
three weeks I wil spend four days doing mechanical design work on Eagle 
and four days doing computer work for Phase 3E and Eagle where we are 
attempting to bring up the computer bus system that will control the 
spacecraft.

Your constructive criticism, based on nearly completely FALSE 
information,  has been a major source of inspiration for many VOLUNTEERS 
who do this work

The engineers recommended to the AMSAT-NA board of directors that we 
adopt a U/V/L/S standard transponder set for linear operation based upon 
SDX in its primary form. THIS IS A LINEAR TRANSPONDER SUITE.  Our 
current calculations show that on V band it will be much louder than 
AO-13 and slightly louder than P3E on V.  On S band downlink for Eagle 
we will be MUCH louder than AO-13 and significantly louder than AO-40.

The advanced communications package recommended to the AMSAT BOD will 
use two uplinks,  L band and 3.4 GHZ.  It has a proposed C band 
downlink.  The system design proposes the use of the SAME 60cm dish that 
many of you have purchased from James Miller or Dave Olean will work 
perfectly with a proposed dual band feed/widget we are proposing and 
will design.  The details of this work will be forthcoming in the next 
few months.

The user will need your AO-13/AO-40 station to operate the V/U/L/S 
packages and widget that you will not be able to easily build but will 
be able to purchase from some group like TAPR or Ettus or AMSAT.  The 
single most expensive decision we have made is to have sufficient solar 
arrays to support both packages.

Please expect to see lots of details from us.  An official announcement 
from the organization will appear on ANS and AMSAT web site shortly.  I 
have requested a lot of money from the AMSAT board of directors to begin 
real work on details of this during the year 2007.  This is in addition 
to the budget we have requested for our support activities for P3E.

Irrespective of all of the things said here about me and the 
unbelievable collection of the most high powered technical team we have 
assembled in a long time,  we continue to work hard on your behalf.  I 
am really personally disappointed in the level of discourse in the AMSAT 
BB.   It is extremely harmful, possibly beyond repair, to our 
organization.  We are seeking serious external funding, and we need to 
make a significant investment in many areas to get this spacecraft 
built.  I have never been prouder of where the AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL 
engineers are going on your behalf than I am right now. I am very 
disappointed in the members of this forum.  It is so damaging to our 
public image that if this does not improve and significantly,  I will 
have to recommend that we end its current form.  You are hurting your 
fellow satellite users and the VERY small number of volunteers who make 
serious personal sacrifices to build these things, and much larger 
number of volunteers who daily make quiet personal efforts in near 
silence on all our behalf.  In my opinion, there is not a single member 
of the included thread who can hold their heads high and be proud of it.

Let me remind you once again.  NO ONE speaks for AMSAT-NA outside of the 
entire board of directors who make policy and the five or so bylaws 
enabled officers.  Anyone else may have influence.  But until you hear 
the outcome from official channels.  On P3E and AMSAT-DL,  NO ONE 
outside of Peter Guelzow is considered by me to represent AMSAT-DL or 
Heike Straube on P3E.

In my opinion,  you owe the organization and the members of this forum 
an apology.  I don't care if none of you speak to me every again.  But 
the members of the engineering team and the volunteer supprters holding 
official positions have been ill served by this.

Bob
N4HY





Dave Guimont wrote:
>   
>> On 5 Oct 2006 at 8:21, John Champa wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> I really do get bored reading about all these threats to Mode S from WiFi,
>>> etc.
>>>
>>>
>>> For a bunch of supposedly sophisticated wireless guys, you sure don't know
>>> beans about
>>> consumer grade wireless devices.  That includes our wonderfully dedicated
>>> but pessimistic AMSAT satellite engineers!
>>>       
>
> Luc wrote:
>
>
>   
>> I agree... but it sometimes very hard to convince and ridicule may 
>> prove too much for some readers
>> but it can be of some help for some stubborn minds who are not 
>> pessimistic but unrealistic.
>>
>>     
>
>
> Some of these guys would complain if they were hung with a new rope, 
> and I'll supply
> ALL THE ROPE THEY CAN USE !!!!
>
>
>
>
>             73, Dave wb6llo at amsat.org
>                     Disagree: I learn....
>
>                Pulling for P3E... 
>
>
>   


-- 
AMSAT Director and VP Engineering. Member: ARRL, AMSAT-DL,
TAPR, Packrats, NJQRP, QRP ARCI, QCWA, FRC. ARRL SDR WG Chair
"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat.
You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los
Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly
the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there.
The only difference is that there is no cat." - Einstein