[amsat-bb] Re: Eagle and AO40

[i8cvs]

----- Original Message -----
From: <jim at beeson.cc>
To: <AMSAT-BB at amsat.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 7:07 PM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Eagle and AO40

> I am curious at the thoughts of current satellite users.  As I read the
AMSAT Journal and see the progress of the Eagle Project, it reminds me of a
few years ago when another "do it all" satellite was being planned - AO40.
Amateurs are pumping thousands of dollars and time into this project.  I
remember I followed AO40 with great excitement, not to mention spending a
few grand upgrading my station to be ready for this "super bird".  And after
all the things that went wrong after the launch, I thought - never again.
>
> So my question is basic:  why spend all this money and wait years for
something that might end up another catastrophe?

Hi Jim, WA5QAP

When AO40 was launched I was prepared to work the bird in about all modes
but AO40 died at the beginning of 2003 and actually my unusable antennas and
equipments are becoming rusty on the roof waiting for P3E hopefully at the
end of 2008 but AO40 was the best satellite ever made by AMSAT and AO40 was
an exciting satellite until lasted.

>Why do we have to try and design a bird that does it all?
>We all know the more complex the bird the more room for failure.

It was not the complexity of AO40 to determine it's catastrophe but a human
mistake.

>Why not just pop out another AO13 - or similar?

P3E will be just similar to AO13 but the only problem is the elapsed time
between the end of 2008 when P3E will be hopefully operational and the end
of 1996 when AO-13 died ( 12 years ) or between the end of 2008 and the
beginning of 2003 when AO40 died (6 years )

> I can't tell you how many hours of fun I had with RS10/11.

I agree with you and it was fun using very simple and not sophisticated
CW and SSB equipments by the way waiting for the future a lot of
hams are actually using the same equipments with the old AO-7 and FO-29
or VO-52

> And with the
>way things are in amateur radio now, who knows if there will be anybody
even
>interested in this by the time Echo finally is useable.

Look please at the AMSAT-BB archive and read the matters in discussion from
the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2003 when AO-40 was operational and
compare the above 2 years of interest in satellite communications with the
actual enthusiasm beginning from 2003

> Just a thought.  I would like to hear yours now please.

I would like to have a new HEO satellite operational to find again my old
satellite friends all over the world that I missed when OSCAR-10, OSCAR-13
and AO40 died !

> Jim Beeson
> WA5QAP
>
73" de

i8CVS Domenico