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

[Kenneth P Alexander]

Hi Michael,

I don't see anything wrong with "easy".  Easy gets people to try new
things.  I never dreamed I would get into satellites until I read I could
hear them with my HT and rubber duck.  If not for that I probably wouldn't
have followed up and got on FM satellites with a D72 and then linear
satellites with a pair of FT-817s.

My circumstances demanded that I operate portable, swinging an Arrow
antenna around.

Only now, a few years later, am I at the stage where I'm thinking "yeah, it
would be cool to do this and that with an Arduino".  Luckily, I'm retired
and now have the time to (slowly) learn how to program one.

My point is if people see that some new aspect of amateur radio is actually
easy to get into they're more likely to give it a try.  Then they'll see
the opportunities to use neat tech to make the experience better.  That's
how I see things happening.

73,

Ken Alexander, VE3HLS
So Phisai, Thailand
Blog:  bueng-ken.com

On Thu, Aug 1, 2019, 08:58 Michael via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:

>   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.
>
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