Re: Internet/Satelite link?

[Steve Dimse K4HG <k4hg@xxxxxxxx>]

>You bet!  The Internet is NOT ham radio!!!
>
No, the internet is not ham radio. The internet grows every minute, while 
ham radio continues to shrink. The internet is a shining star of 
innovation, ham radio wallows in 20 year old technology. The internet is 
full of bright teenagers, and ham radio is crammed with overweight 
50-somethings.

Continued communications technology is fast making ham radio irrelevant. 
This applies to space comms as well. By the time ISS is occupied, Iridium 
will be active. Any time an astronaut wants to talk to their family, they 
won't fight the QRM on 2 meters, they'll just pick up the phone and dial. 
Whether they pick up a two meter radio to talk to a school, or set up a 
conference call, is up to us. If ham radio is to survive, we need to 
embrace outside technology where it is a better answer, rather than 
trying to cram our square peg into every round hole we find. 

We must concentrate on that which we can do best, and use it to generate 
excitment among the youth. SAREX is one of the best examples of this, and 
an internet system would be a great addition. Any ham system that make 
astronauts and space more accessible to young people (who are on the 
internet) will be a benefit to ham radio. Activities like this may be our 
only chance.

Please think about this before you start shouting "It isn't ham radio"...

Steve K4HG