[amsat-bb] Re: AO-51 - Requiem

[John Geiger]

And you can still use the FM equipment you bought on AO27, SO50, and SO67. 
I spent less than $200 on my FM satellite setup this year.  It consists of a 
used Kenwood TM251A for $99, an Arrow antennas dualband J pole for $50, and 
a 50 foot run of 9913 flex for $40.  It is still working fine on the other 3 
sats.

73s John AA5JG

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clint Bradford" <clintbradford at mac.com>
To: "AMSAT BB" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 3:26 PM
Subject: [amsat-bb] AO-51 - Requiem


>>> ... because since 2004 when AO-51 was operational a lot of Hams invested 
>>> a lot of money to buy FM
> hand held equipments, Arrow antennas and ELK antennas to work ...
>
> Huh? 2004 was the year the Yaesu FT-60R was released. For under $200. The 
> Kenwood TH-D7 was
> available - always a battery hog, but expensive due to its TNC/APRS 
> capabilities.
>
> To say that we blew our collective wads on "hand held equipment" for 
> working FM birds doesn't make
> sense to me. And I was working at the US' largest ham radio equipment 
> dealer then: that phenomenon
> did not occur.
>
>>> ... if AO-51 will be in trouble for a long time and if a similar 
>>> satellite will
> not replace it than a lot of money all around the world has been invested
> in FM equipment for very small ...
>
> The equipment purchased to work the FM sats covers the two most popular 
> voice bands in the
> US, if not the planet. There's no "handheld equipment" that is exclusively 
> made for sat work.
>
>>> ... The situation for the linear satellite users is very bad as well 
>>> because
> HO-68 was only activated for a limited numbar of orbits ...
>
> I do not understand why some folks are so hot for '68. Its primary mission 
> was never going to
> be "amateur radio." It is run by the Chinese, who could really care less 
> about what we would like
> to see happen with it. (Sorry, my wife has been to Tibet three times in 
> the past five years, and
> has some really illustrative stories on how obscenely the Chinese treat 
> some very peaceful people.)
> The Chinese projects have little or no interest for me.
>
>>> ... I don't have any information about the Fox project ...
>
> Right at the top of the AMSAT-org Web site you will find ...
>
> http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fox/
>
>>> ... I wanted a HEO so bad!
>
> When I win the lottery, we'll have a geo-synchronous bird above North 
> America ...
>
> Clint, K6LCS
>
>
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