The last satellite AMSAT-NA built and flew was an SDR based linear transponder. Fox-1 and RadFXsat are FM, and the comms capability got us the launches for free. Fox-2 will be a SDR based transponder. At current count AMSAT orgs have four operable transponder satellites, another in orbit awaiting activation, one at the launch site, and one lonely FM satellite built by the Saudis almost a decade ago.
That seems pretty balanced and forward thinking to me. Maybe your research is faulty. However, as one of the "idiots" routinely doing hamfest demonstrations and volunteering way too much for the org, and a Life Member of AMSAT, your opinion as a non-member means almost nothing to me. 73, Drew KO4MA Sent from my iPhone > On Jan 26, 2014, at 11:48 AM, Michael <mat...@charter.net> wrote: > > I wasn't going to touch this as I've made my opinion about P3-E known before > but I can't be silent about some other things. I don't believe it will ever > fly because of the economic realities of today's world but hey, stranger > things have happened. Cubesats seem to be the wave of the future as they are > more affordable to get launched but if you ask me we are still going in the > wrong direction with them in a couple of areas. AMSAT seems to be bent and > determined to keep building and flying FM repeaters even when ground based FM > repeaters are slowly falling into disuse and projects like Funcube AO-73 are > showing how viable linear transponder cubesats are. There also seems to be > some continued fascination with showing how we can all stand out in the > frigid cold or the blazing sun balancing an HT in one hand and a handheld > yagi in the other to work the flying repeaters....... YAWN!!! The novelty of > that has worn off just as quickly as it did on exchanging nothing but grid s! quares and calls and calling it a sat QSO. The focus not only needs to be on more linear transponder cubesats and developing new and efficient ways to communicate with them but also on developing affordable ground equipment like complete SDR transceiver systems along the lines of the funcube dongle except maybe abandoning the "dongle" concept and going more with a desktop "black box" approach. A computer driven SDR base station with tracking and doppler correction and digital and CW as well as voice mode communication is infinitely more interesting to me than seeing some idiot balancing an antenna and an HT at a hamfest. Just my opinion.... That and five bucks will get you a fancy Starbucks coffee blend but I had to put it out there! > 73, > Michael, W4HIJ >> On 1/25/2014 2:44 PM, i8cvs wrote: >> Hi John, W0JAB >> >> At the moment there is no hope to see again a satellite like AO40 >> >> If we are like in the future probably we will see P3E, a satellite >> similar to OSCAR-13 built by AMSAT-DL >> >> 73" de >> >> i8CVS Domenico >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "John Becker" <w0...@big-river.net> >> To: <amsat-bb@amsat.org> >> Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2014 8:01 PM >> Subject: [amsat-bb] status >> >> >>> Whats the status of a replacement for the likes of AO 40? >>> >>> I know I ask this from time to time but never seem to see anything. >>> >>> I for one would very much like to see this type the a boat load >>> of small FM only type while there is still a place to park one. >>> >>> John, W0JAB > > > _______________________________________________ > 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
