[amsat-bb] Just expanding on my previous thoughts about AMSAT perception....

[Michael]

  Expanding on my previous thoughts pasted at bottom...

It seems to me that the 'easy" thing has run it's course. Again, just 
one mans opinion but I think if you had some sort of setup outside a 
hamfest with a card table and a folding chair, a sat rig and an Arduino 
based rotator controller running off a laptop or I-pad and antennas on a 
"WRAPS" ( I think?) type tripod tracking both Azimuth and Elevation, 
you'd attract the more technically savvy hams. Probably more youth too. 
I know in my model railroading hobby that the fact we can now run trains 
with a smart phone is a big draw. Back in the day, on the not so great 
passes, I would sometimes fire up the shack computer and my BASIC STAMP 
based Sabretrack homebrew rotor controller and walk outside and watch my 
old surplus OR-360 TV rotators moving my homebrew antennas to track the 
sat across the sky. To me there was a certain "coolness factor" in that 
which can't be matched by the guy holding the antenna in his hand and 
waving it about. In fact, my whole idea in buying the beat up telescope 
tripod was to sit outside at a table with a couple of HT's and my old 
notebook computer driving  the thing with a couple of light weight 
antennas on board. Yes, I know that I don't necessarily need to track 
elevation with an LEO but watching the antennas track both is awesome to 
me. I think we miss the boat sometimes by constantly harping on and 
touting the "easy" aspect of it. Sometimes complex and high tech is more 
attractive. Digital modes, SDR and computers have made HF radio hi tech 
and cool again, at least for me, yet the sat hobby seems to be bending 
over backwards to over simplify and make things BORRRING! Even model 
railroads are computer controlled these days! It doesn't have to be 
super expensive either. An Arduino and some DC motors and gears can be 
had for less than the cost of a meal for four at Mickey D's. All my 
OR-360's were was Mabuchi style hobby motors hooked to a gear train. You 
controlled direction by switching polarity of 12VDC sent up the line and 
they had position pot feedback. EasyComm format for AZ/EL. But hey, what 
do I know, I've only been in this hobby forty one years. Just my opinion 
anyway. That and five bucks will get you a "Venti" designer coffee at 
Starbucks.

73,

Michael, W4HIJ

Just from the outside looking in...

AMSAT APPEARS only to be interested in hoisting flying repeaters and
PACSAT/APRS and showing the average ham how "easy" it is to work sats
with a handheld and a simple antenna. I guess that's all well and good
but I didn't get in the sat end of the hobby for "easy".  I wanted a new
challenge. I was too late for A0-40 because of lack of funds for a
station but I did have fun for awhile chasing AO-51, FO-29, AO-7 etc.
with a TS-2000X and a homebrew rotator and antenna system.
Unfortunately, life got in the way and I needed family funds so the
Kenwood hit Ebay and I'm inactive on the birds now. I sometimes consider
buying a couple of Baofengs (you should ALWAYS operate full duplex but
that's another thread) and getting back in on the cheap, I even recently
bought a beat up old telescope with a computer tracking tripod system I
spotted at Goodwill, but honestly, the challenge isn't there to give me
motivation.

Before everyone flames me, as I said, this is from the outside looking
in and just one man's opinion. I really wish AMSAT would do something,
anything, to change my perception. Seems to me I saw something about a
YL running for the board who's interested in open sourcing stuff.  Her
candidate statement was IMHO, a much needed breath of fresh air but I'm
no longer a member and don't keep up so no idea if she got elected. If
AMSAT wants my membership and donation dollars back, they need to change
perception and I suspect there are many out here in the community who
feel the way I do.