[amsat-bb] Re: Protocol

[Gordon JC Pearce]

On Tue, 2011-01-11 at 12:17 -0900, Edward R. Cole wrote:
> A satellite with 25 channels would probably help.  LOL   This is why 
> a lot of the old guard satellite ops wish for the translator days 
> with 100-KHz of bandwidth and CW/SSB.  But I do NOT want to start up 
> a RANT on this -everyone knows this.
> 
> Single channel FM repeater satellites will always be saddled with 
> this problem - too many users/one channel.  Goes with the 
> territory.  that is reality.  Another reality: lots of unused 
> satellites while everyone is on a single satellite - why?

Because AO-51 is the most reliable satellite in terms of actually
finding and working it.  SO-50 seems to be almost impossible to lift,
and the linear transponder ones require extremely expensive radios.  You
can work AO-51 with an el-cheapo dual-band handie and a homebrew
antenna, and you can work /P really easily because you don't need a
rotator or satellite tracking software.

I'm not going to rush out and buy a VHF/UHF SSB rig just to work the odd
pass, especially since I've never heard anyone on the linear birds.  I
don't know if VO-52 works - I've never even heard its beacon - and AO-27
is only ever enabled over the US, making it useless for most of the
world.  It would be great to attempt a QSO through AO-7 but again I'm
not going to go and buy a rig that costs as much as a car to do it.

Gordon MM0YEQ