[amsat-bb] Re: Eagle Satellite Design

[Roger Kolakowski]

I have one (immediate) question...why no switches? I thought the AO-40
switches worked well...and if we have "space for rent" why not plan to fly a
2.4 gHz transmitter and use it as an "alternate" downlink?

Alternatively, does the "space for rent" indicate that contributions to
another organization or sponsor, who supports 2.4 Gig, could fund a
transponder on the spacecraft? A very interesting concept...

Roger
WA1KAT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Hambly (W2GPS)" <w2gps at cnssys.com>
To: <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 6:21 AM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Eagle Satellite Design


> All,
>
> You have received carefully considered responses from three of the people
> who were in the fateful San Diego meeting where the revised band plan for
> Eagle was chosen. You also now have access to the meeting minutes and
spread
> sheets on EaglePedia and three articles on the subject in the latest
> Journal. I too was at the meeting so let me say a few words.
>
> For those of you who still disagree with the decisions we made I am sorry.
> Your elected volunteer Board members and the volunteer executives and
> volunteer Eagle team members have done their very best to design Eagle to
> satisfy the needs of the existing members while providing services that we
> hope will attract many thousands of Hams to the Amateur Satellite Service
> who today find us impossible or irrelevant. I congratulate all of AMSAT's
> dedicated volunteers on a job well done.
>
> The band plan is simple.
>
> a) We will provide an enhanced linear transponder for mode U/V (B) that
will
> support traditional linear transponder modes with a performance and signal
> quality never before seen on a satellite. In addition, other modes may be
> supported, especially a new high performance SMS service for text
messaging
> using hand held or transportable equipment even when Eagle is at apogee.
>
> b) We will provide a modified version of C-C Rider, with the uplink on
> S-band, so I guess you would call it S-C Rider. It will support a full
suite
> of services from voice and video to CW and data using a wide bandwidth
> digital carrier on the downlink and digitized uplink channels to maximize
> the link performance using the latest in coding techniques. As a side
> benefit, we will be transmitting on S-band so you can continue to use much
> of your existing S-band equipment if you like. We will be developing an
open
> design reference ground station that will be available to buy or copy.
>
> c) There are at least two TSFR (This-Space-For-Rent) packages that could
> possibly contain other RF or other payloads, conditioned on the
availability
> of power, antenna space and compatibility with the primary payloads.
>
> If, after considering all the information that is now available, you still
> feel strongly that we are doing a bad job then ask yourself not what AMSAT
> can do for you, but what you can do for AMSAT.  If you want to have more
> direct influence on decisions then volunteer your time and money; run for
> office, join the Eagle team, join Field Operations, or one of the
executive
> teams. At the very least have the courtesy of sending your comments
directly
> to those who are involved so you can get informed responses. The Board
> meeting in San Diego is open to all members so you could express your
> feeling there.
>
> Rick
> W2GPS
> AMSAT President
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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