[amsat-bb] The Space Race is On--and We're Behind...

[Kenneth P Alexander]

Hi Les,

I think Amsat would love to put something like this up there, but I think
it comes down to how deep your pockets are, I suspect the people behind
Es'hail-2 have a little more free cash than Amsat does.  That said, I would
think ARES types would go crazy for 24/7 access to a satellite, not to
mention other disaster relief types.  Maybe Amsat needs to be approaching
them (if they haven't already) to sell them on the benefits of
continent-wide radio coverage with portable equipment and no need to worry
about changing propagation conditions.

Myself, I would miss the challenge of predicting satellite orbits and
manipulating handheld antennas to aim at satellites as they pass over.
Operating through a geostationary satellite presents a technical and
financial challenge to build or acquire the necessary equipment.  After
that it sounds to me like we're just picking up the phone to talk to
someone.  VUCC, DXCC etc. could probably be banged off in a weekend.  Not
quite the same feeling of accomplishment.  Anyway, that's just me.  I'm
sure many others can't wait!

73,
Ken Alexander (still VE3HLS)
So Phisai, Thailand
Blog:  bueng-ken.com


On Wed, Feb 13, 2019 at 9:57 AM Les Rayburn <les at highnoonfilm.com> wrote:

> :-)
>
> After listening to the WebSDR of Oscar-100 for nearly 24 hours now, it’s
> easy to imagine how my parents must have felt on October 4, 1957 as Sputnik
> transmitted it’s “beep beep beep” message to the world. Everything had
> changed in an instant.
>
> A geostationary hamsat is a quantum leap forward—and I confess to feeling
> a twinge of disappointment that someone other than AMSAT-NA accomplished
> this feat first.
>
> As a teenager, I remember driving a friends brand new, 1974 Corvette
> Stingray. My first thought was “Man! I gotta get me one of these!” Color me
> jealous.
>
>
> 73,
>
> Les Rayburn, N1LF
> Maylene, AL
> EM63nf
> AMSAT #38965, ARRL Life Member, CVHS Life Member, SVHF Member
>
>
>
>
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