[amsat-bb] Re: Why do hamsats? (Or anything else...)

[Mark VandeWettering]

> John.  I would not suggest to ignore it.  But AMSAT is not DARPA and cannot
> in my view afford to fly technology just for technologies sake
>
> Robert WB5MZO

There are all sorts of reasons why flying digital transponders is a
good idea.  Your cell phone (presuming you have one) uses digital
technology to improve battery life, range, and to provide a variety of
other services, including digital data, and the same benefits could be
harnessed aboard amateur satellites.   The desire to do so isn't just
for technology's sake: it is to enable a wide variety of new
capabilities that can't be achieved with conventional analog systems.

I understand the desire for being "conservative", but there is a
different from being conservative and simply ignoring the
revolutionary trends in communication that are enabling revolutions in
phone, data and voip services.

73 Mark K6HX