[amsat-bb] Re: hams on ISS

[Personal]

Remember they don't get paid to sit up there on the radio. Remember too that ham radio in manned space flight has changed since SAREX and Mir. It's no longer the back up system it once was. They have iPods and such aboard now. There is Internet access and a telephone to speak with family. Ham radio is an off duty activity and that time is at a premium. The primary focus of ham radio now is education or educational inspiration of s,cool children to encourage study in science, technology, engineering and math. The space the equipment fills can always be reassigned as NASA desires.

I'm not sure what the definition of a real ham is but too many times it seems to be a person stuck in the past, bemoaning the things that used to be while doing little to push forward although always ready  say what should be done. The real hams aboard ISS while they may not be  30 wpm brass pounders or members of amsat from back in the good old days of free launches are real hams because they choose to give some of their free time, they are not required to, they make the choice to, spend in 10 minute bits with a room often of hundreds, hope and passion for learning, the desire to explore and the need, reason and necessity to continue to do so, just as the real hams of old brought the rest of us kicking and screaming from AM to SSB and beyond. 


John AG9D

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 30, 2013, at 7:52 PM, Bob- W7LRD <w7lrd at comcast.net> wrote:

> I believe they all have ham tickets, however few "real" hams 
> 73 Bob W7LRD 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ted" <k7trkradio at charter.net> 
> To: amsat-bb at amsat.org 
> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 3:32:49 PM 
> Subject: [amsat-bb] hams on ISS 
> 
> Any hams on the ISS at this time ? 
> 
> 
> 
> 73, Ted, K7TRK 
> 
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