[amsat-bb] A suggestion for Experimenter's Wednesdays on AO-91

[Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK)]

Hi Mac!

You offer a good idea. I thought about things like that, but
came back to the simple fact that AO-91 still has the "new
car smell" for being the newest and (in my opinion) best
performing FM satellite we currently have. Especially given
the recent series of messages discussing the new document
Sean KX9X wrote, it might be better to hold off on anything
that limits the use of AO-91 to those who would have a
computer or other accessories to do the experiment. Once
we have another one or two FM satellites, Fox-1C and/or
Fox-1D, then it would be a great time to have something
else for the weekly experiments.

The APRS-capable satellites might be better for what you
propose, yes. Unfortunately, there is the issue of the
misuse of 145.825 MHz by stations automatically beaconing
their existence. Any experiment using ISS or NO-84 would
be tougher as you move east across the continental USA,
as well as some other parts of the world.

73!






Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/
Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK






On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 1:53 AM, Mac A. Cody <maccody at att.net> wrote:

> Patrick,
>
> This is certainly a fine idea, which may very well gain traction.  If
> I may, though, I'd like to propose an alternative experiment. Given
> the recent (and ongoing) disaster and recovery in Puerto Rico after
> Hurricane Maria,I was wondering how amateur LEO satellites could be
> used for emergency response (I know that the use case for the Phase IV
> satellite terminal is emergency response.).  While DX and chasing grid
> squares is great fun (I do both myself.), I am hoping that there might
> be a way that LEO satellites could be used as a public service resource.
>
> Traditionally, long-distance emergency response has relied upon shortwave
> communications.  It takes a bit of infrastructure cost to set up and
> operate a shortwave station.  Effective antenna deployment, available
> transceiver equipment, and a sufficient power supply are considerations
> to be addressed.  Perhaps, a pair of hand-held radios (or single full-
> duplex), an Arrow antenna, and a computer (Raspberry Pi) could be used to
> send and receive emergency messages via LEO satellites and might be a
> viable
> alternative.  The messages could be sent digitally via, say, Narrow Band
> Emergency Messaging System (NBEMS) to improve reliability of transcription.
>
> I'm sure that you or someone else might say "Use the APRS birds for
> emergency response messaging.".  That may be a fair statement, but my
> idea might, at least, be an interesting experiment to try.  An experiment
> is still valuable when it shows that an idea does not work!
>
> 73,
>
> Mac Cody / AE5PH
>
>