Just my 2 cents worth, Whichever side of the debate you happen to be on, and I can see both sides, there is one thing to be said in favour of the so called "beep sats"
They keep our frequencies warm whilst we wait for bigger and better satellites 73 John G7HIA ________________________________ From: i8cvs <domenico.i8...@tin.it> To: William Leijenaar <pe1...@yahoo.com>; Amsat - BBs <amsat-bb@amsat.org> Sent: Saturday, 12 November, 2011 19:55:25 Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: OSCAR or not OSCAR ? ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Leijenaar" <pe1...@yahoo.com> To: <amsat-bb@amsat.org> Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 12:32 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] OSCAR or not OSCAR ? On Saturday, November 12, 2011 12:32 PM, William Leijenaar wrote: Hello AMSATs, As we all know OSCAR is the abbreviatie of Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. To my opinion the function of OSCAR satellites is to facilitate communication between amateur radio stations using amateur radio frequencies and/or do experiments on those radio frequencies. Can someone tell me how it is possible that many of the newer small satellites get a license to use ham radio satellite frequencies for only broadcasting data ? Many of these satellite missions are even not ham related, and those satellites only have a broadcast (downlink) radio onboard. Is this nowadays seen as amateur radio communication ? The word "Education" I read in many of the university CubeSat projects. Doing experiments on ham radio frequencies is like education, and I fully support this even when it is only available as a downlink at a CubeSat. When it comes to the education of building a satellite, with no ham related experiments, and where the amateur frequencies and the amateur community is used to collect only none ham payload data, I don't see this as a ham satellite. Then a 433MHz remote control toy-car should also be named a ham radio. We just ask one of those ISS astronauts to throw this toy-car out of the space station and we have another amateur satellite :o) I just wonder where is the border between an OSCAR and a satellite that uses ham radio frequencies for downloading its (none ham) payload data ? 73 de PE1RAH, William Leijenaar Hi William, PE1RAH Yes, I agree with you, but you and I we are talking always to the same people and some of them probably with their own interest as they are closely connected to some CubeSat projects. Most of them have no "satellite ham spirit" since they did not make the experience we did with OSCAR-6-7-8 + the RS + the FO and than with OSCAR-10, OSCAR-13 and AO40 My experience is, that they even don't want our support and advise.. from experience here in Italy, they don't trust and know everything better anyway.. they even don't trust other Universities within the same country, they see it more as a competition rather than a cooperation.. Every time I write........"to my opinion the function of OSCAR satellites is to facilitate two way communication between amateur radio stations using amateur radio frequencies and/or do experiments on those radio frequencies" ........I get insult from the above people because probably you and I we are considered as two of those old "RF dinosaurs" that like to experiment into space RF circuits building equipments and antennas from the VHF to Microwave. I believe that things will change only when a HEO satellite will be in orbit, hopefully P3E, because everyone will switch to it abandoning the actual non ham payloads and will stop to collect telemetry data for no ham related experiments. Best 73" de i8CVS Domenico _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
