[amsat-bb] Re: FO-29

Thu Sep 25 05:56:00 PDT 2008

Remember "Experimenter's Wednesday" on AO-51 a year or 2 ago?

AO-51 does not have to be 24/7 grid squares.

See the other BB thread on SSTV on ISS. Are you ready and have you tested
your equipment and software for what can be an exciting few days? Check it
out.  What about a proposal to the AO-51 command team to set one of the 2
transponders to FM VHF downlink and UHF uplink ( reverse of what is normal )
to do a ISS/SSTV test?  Then instead of capturing grid squares y'all can try
to collect QSL cards via SSTV.  Okay, that will be almost impossible, but
for testing purposes perhaps on a specific pass a designated station can be
the TX and everyone else can test their RX capabilities.

Just thinking out load.

73, Alan VE4YZ
EN19kw
AMSAT LM 2352

-----Original Message-----
From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
Behalf Of Tim Tapio
Sent: September 25, 2008 7:29 AM
To: amsat-bb at amsat.org
Cc: n3tl at bellsouth.net
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: FO-29

Something must be working, I joined Amsat over two years ago...my number is
35580...

Tim (N3ITL) is 36820 so there apparently have been a few joined Amsat along
the way...

Not everyone has the inclination or capability to set up a station for a
non-FM mode and operation is a little more demanding.

Yep, Echo can get crowded but so does HF on a contest weekend (much worse).

I expect to have a better station setup shortly, then I'll show up on FO-29
(knock on wood) and hopefully AO-16 as well.

Without something on the lines of AO-51, I never would have gotten back into
satellites. My first pass though a bird was back in 1985 when I chased my
dits (2 meter up, 10 meter down) using one of those polar orbit things that
you used to get to track sats. 

One things that really impresses me is the amount of talent and the activity
on this bb, it truly amazes me.

73 de Tim, K4SHF  35580

-----Original Message-----
From: amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org] On
Behalf Of n3tl at bellsouth.net
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 9:06 PM
To: Dave Guimont; i8cvs
Cc: amsat-bb at amsat.org
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: FO-29

Mr. Guimont,

I take exception to your comments about AO-51 and its relative merits. I am
a newcomer to the amateur satellites - having been totally off the air for
more than 15 years. I was originally licensed 25 years ago.

I've submitted a paper that will be published as part of the official
proceedings of the AMSAT-NA Symposium that discusses how working AO-27,
AO-51 and SO-50 with a handheld station specifically addresses the elements
of FCC Part 97.1, which lays out the foundation for the amateur radio
service. I hope you'll have a chance to read it.

I am in the process of getting a full station together to start working the
CW/SSB satellites, but if those satellites and the equipment/investment they
require had been where I had to start working satellites, I wouldn't have
done it. A newcomer can get everything he/she needs to effectively work the
three Mode-J FM satellites for about what it costs to buy an xBox 360
console and 2-3 games for it. It occurs to me that parents just might be
more interested in investing that amount of money in amateur radio than in
video games. That's one reason why I see these satellites and the concept of
working them with handheld stations to be a great recipe for introducing
newcomers to amateur radio and all it has to offer.

I see advantages to all of the satellites and all of their various modes of
operation. Have you worked AO-16 recently in its "bent pipe" mode? What a
hoot! I'm enjoying that a lot, and I look forward to hearing you on FO-29 in
the very near future. I hope we'll have a chance to work each other there,
and I hope you might reconsider your position on AO-51 and the other two
Mode-J FM satellites. As you likely have seen here from posts about it,
AO-27 is currently experiencing some problems and is not operating. However,
SO-50 is not nearly as busy as AO-51.

One of the main points I make in the paper I've written for the Symposium is
that the quick exchanges made necessary by the nature of these satellites
provides great chances for operators to hone their skills at providing
pertinent information in a short form during what sometimes can be chaotic
(or, at least chaotic-sounding) conditions - things that I know from
personal experience are very important in emergency-communications. 

I suppose the excitement of working AO-51 could fade for me in time, but I
doubt it. 

73 to all,

Tim - N3TL
AMSAT Member No. 36820
Athens, Ga. - EM84ha
-------------- Original message from Dave Guimont <dguimon1 at san.rr.com>:
-------------- 

> 
> > 
> > 
> > > Where is everyone on FO-29??? 
> > 
> > > 
> > > We've got from 145.900 to 146.000 on the uplink, cw or ssb, room 
> > > for many, many SIMULTANEOUS QSO'S.
> > > 
> > > Why fight the mob on AO-51???... 
> > > 
> > > Get Marty Davidoff's SATELLITE EXPERIMENTER'S MANUAL if you need 
> > > help in understanding the procedure...
> > > 
> > > A fifth grader could do it easily... 
> > 
> >Hi Dave, WB6LLO
> > 
> >I agree with you and this is why I work only FO-29 but actually for 
> >many reason you are a voice crying in the wilderness.
> 
> Unfortunate, but true, Dom...AMSAT-NA made such a big promotion of 
> AO-51, supposedly promote interest in hamsats and increase membership, 
> and I think it did just the opposite...
> 
> I've asked many times how many members we acquired, never got an 
> answer so assume it was zero, nada, nil.....
> 
> And part of the loss was also many former ssb/cw users that just gave 
> up because of lack of bandspread...
> 
> I tried to hold a conversation when 51 was first launched, and was 
> berated severely for making a couple of short sentences!!
> 
> What good is it if no intelligence is transferred?? 
> 
> One could swap grid squares on a cell phone, if that is the only
interest!! 
> 
> GO P3E!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> > 
> > 
> >Pulling for P3E... 
> > 
> >73" de
> > 
> >i8CVS Domenico
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> 73, Dave, WB6LLO
> dguimon1 at san.rr.com
> 
> Disagree: I learn.... 
> 
> Pulling for P3E... 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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