[amsat-bb] Re: Keep It Simple Silly

[Dave Guimont]

At 02:27 PM 9/30/2007, you wrote:
>Can I offer my viewpoint as a newcomer and a relative outsider?

Bob, there are no OUTSIDERS in amateur radio...I've been licensed for 
57 years, have operated the amateur satellites for 28 years, and have 
operated everyone launched since then, 
analog/digital/am/cw/ssb/fm.  Have hundreds of QSL cards to prove it, 
and have made well over 7000  logged ssb/cw amateur satellite 
contacts.    And I've been helped by dozens of other hams, since 
then, and still need it once in awhile for things I've 
forgotten...I'm 85.  AO7 was my first one by the way, and I operated 
it then(1980) with wa5zib, Andy (he has a new callsign w5acm, I 
believe) and operated AO7 with him again on 21mar 04.....when it 
miraculously came back to life!!

So don't let any of the Johnny-Come-Lately's on here (and there are 
some, with responses that sound as tho they were licensed yesterday) 
cause any grief!!

A good idea to start is with the THE RADIO AMATEUR'S SATELLITE 
HANDBOOK by Marty Davidson if you don't have it..


> >From my POV, AO-7 is the most successful amateur satellite
>ever made.  It's the energizer bunny of satellites, it has a large
>footprint, and a long hang-time.  To top it off, it's easy to access
>for someone with few financial and technical resources.
>
>I've seen a few comments about AO-40, but where is it?  Again,
>from my POV, it's a proof of concept that needs to be followed
>up with a working model.
>
>
>To sum it up, I've spent most of my years in ham radio on HF.  I
>like the idea of being able to contact people in foreign countries.

Me too, and I've talked to over a hundred on the satellites!

A lot of us understand your dilemma.  AO40 and other high altitude 
sats enabled worldwide communications with enough bandwidth, that 
I've never heard of anyone being able to get on...Some times sounded 
like 20 meters at sunspot high, but that's the fun of ham 
radio....Most of those have deserted the reflector because of a lot 
of the crud that is on here, but just hold on until P3D is launched!!!

Google Peter Guelzow DB2OS, and it will tell a bunch about P3D.

But I am interested in ham progress to the moon, mars, and anything 
else that can be dreamed up, but I want any small contribution that I 
have or might make to got to development of a high orbit satellite, 
and not some dumb 2 user FM bird.  (That we have circling us now!)

OK, there's my oar, it's been bent before so go ahead!!








            73, Dave wb6llo at amsat.org
                    Disagree: I learn....

               Pulling for P3E...