[amsat-bb] HT Mindset

[sco@sco-inc.com]

HTs are nice. I have been reading about the plans for Eagle and how 
it must serve the HT and CC&R community of hams. Thats fine, when 
Eagle is close to Earth HT users can work it. But when Eagle is 
40,000 km out in space that is when the larger tracking antenna 
arrays should come into their own. That lets both camps (HTs and 
tracking arrays) use and enjoy the next HEO satellite.

CC&R restrictions should be taken care of with new state laws like 
PRB-1 to allow Hams to have antennas on their property that asist in 
case of natural disasters and in the war with Islamic Facists.

If the goal is to launch 3 HEO sats over a 13 year period that means 
design and build one style spaceframe then change the insides as more 
modern technology is developed over the time span waiting for 
launch.  P3E seems to be using a tried and true spaceframe. Why did 
Eagle need to be different?  If there are plans for a 2nd P3E #2 or 
#3 that would interest me more than Eagle #1 with unproven ideas. Let 
most of the experimentation take place in the ground stations, not in 
space (at least not until we can send a repairman to space to fix 
it). Can't PSK31 work thru a HEO using very small V and U band 
antennas for one thing? Let the digital crowd do that and let the SSB 
folks use their tracking arrays to work voice on V and U and yes even 
S band if the users want to try it (thru the future interference). 
Maybe by then we will be using digital voice with techniques to work 
thru the interference on S band. Are we just going to give up and 
move to a higher band everytime a few commercial users get on one of 
our bands? Why?

It may take 13 years to design, build and launch the first Eagle. You 
can not launch 3 Eagles in 13 years with the way you are going now.

Just a few thoughts from a ham satellite user.

Les W4SCO