[amsat-bb] Re: Questions for the 2007 BoD Candidates

[Bob McGwier]

Jim left out a couple of important contribution in the last year.  Marc 
Franco and Al Katz have delivered a paper to an international audience 
on our 145 MHz amplifier design.  It is HUGELY efficient.  Based on cree 
amplifiers,  it will be state of the art.  We will be able to produce 
the most efficient and most linear HELAPS we have ever produced based on 
this work.  Marc Franco is the lead on this development and is now 
pondering the modulator and driver stages for the completion of this.

I am using some serious development tools and some new development 
boards to get the pieces of the SDX designed/simulated to deliver the 
signals needed for the HELAPS nonlinear channel and the modulator.  Tom 
Clark and I have been going to classes for this.  Jim does not know 
about our going to these classes as we have not had sufficient time to 
talk all of this through since both Jim and I have been hugely busy with 
both professional and personal obligations.

The Can-Do people are meeting again to make necessary modifications to 
that hardware.  Can-Do is our medium for control of our packages in the 
spacecraft.

Lou McFadin and his compatriots have made good progress on critical 
system elements for the best charge regulation system we have ever flown.

I see lots of excellent work being done.  I agree with Jim on the topics 
he picked to discuss here.  Specifically, Juan Rivera is my MVP in the 
entire engineering arena for the previous 12 months.  I am really proud 
of what is going on and if we can only find a launch,  we are ready to 
astound!

Bob
N4HY
VPE

Jim Sanford wrote:
> All:
> I'd like to weigh in on the technical and historical side.
>
> Some of the folks recruited since or around last years Symposium have 
> done GREAT things for Eagle.  I'm referring to Juan Rivera and the 
> Project Oscar team tht he assembled.  They have purchased materials for, 
> constructed, and are testing the U-band receiver.  This process has 
> taught us many thing about our PROCESSES and designs, as well as done 
> great things for the particular project at hand. AND THEY HAVE 
> DOCUMENTED IT WELL!
>
> Bill Ress is another newcomer who has done great things.  At a time when 
> the ACP is still in the conceptual design stage, Bill took it upon 
> himself to design an S2-band receiver and built it.  He did so on his 
> own dime and did it in a way that lends itself to experimentation -- 
> modularized construction.
>
> There's a lot going on in Eagle, but these gents adn their teams have 
> PRODUCED.
>
> Needs:
> One of the things which falls out of testing the UHF receiver design is 
> a recognition that we may need to redesign  the switching power supply 
> on the CAN-Do! widgets.  SO, I'm seeking a switching power supply 
> designer.  That individual will be faced with a wide range of load 
> currents (tens of mA to A), very small "real estate" on the board,  and 
> demanding (tho not yet documented)  EMI requirements. 
>
> Anyone interested in this exciting task should contact me directly and 
> immediately.
>
> I'm enjoying reading these questions to BoD candidates and thgeir responses!
>
> Thanks & 73,
> Jim
> wb4gcs at amsat.org
> Eagle Project Manager
>
>   


-- 
Robert W. McGwier, Ph.D.
Center for Communications Research
805 Bunn Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609)-924-XXX-4600
(sig required by employer, remove X's for phone #)