In addition most cubsats just buy prebut of commercial modules (clydespace...) so those teams have to do little actual engineering. Those teams however are limited I. Their scope for the future whereas AMSAT-NA is developing the basic building blocks of heir own platform to build on. I. Addition to IP being generated (designs, test hardware and software, firmware, etc) volunteers old and especially the new generation of volunteers that have joined in the last several year are getting experience from the ground up. This is the first Cubesat for AMSAT NA and yes it is a tough form factor to build in with missions longer than a few months, actually I'd say AMSAT isone of the few if only developing a cubsat platform for 5+ mission years. It's a tough problem and may look "solved" already but it is not. ITAR also hinders this greatly.
To those of you even mildly interested in volunteering please do! We are ally are ushering in a new wave of amateur radio satellites that will start with FM birds but will certainly progress through more advanced functions such as digital data. You don't have to work in Aerospace to volunteer but when building a Cubesat that has to work you've got to cross your t's and dot your i's. One step at a time, we will get there and it will be a growing pace, fox-1 is the start, fox-1b and 1c are low hanging fruit to get launches and improve upon our platform. Fox-2 and over starts getting much more power, software defined radio transponders, etc... It's going to be fun! Brent, KB1LQD On Tuesday, July 22, 2014, Bryce Salmi <bstguitar...@gmail.com> wrote: > By usher in he was clearly referring to gaining technical abilities as a > group to attack more complex satellites. > > On Monday, July 21, 2014, Phil Karn <k...@ka9q.net <javascript:;>> wrote: > > > On 07/21/2014 05:36 PM, Clayton Coleman wrote: > > > > > It's very easy to be a pessimist or a cynic. Very little risk is > > > involved. It doesn't take any cojones to sit in a comfy chair and > > > email snarky comments. If you are optimistic about a project and it > > > fails, your peers may see your actions as a fool. > > > > I absolutely agree, but I must ask you about something you said earlier: > > > > > I am pleased that AMSAT-NA is going to move forward with a LEO > > > CubeSat, single channel, analog FM transponder. If successful, it > > > will be immensely popular worldwide. My hope is that it will help > > > usher in a new, improved series of satellites with more advanced > > > payloads. > > > > I'm confused. My understanding of the idiomatic expression "usher in" is > > that something new and presumably revolutionary is being introduced, > > e.g., to "usher in a new era". > > > > What, exactly, will a new LEO, single channel, analog FM transponder > > satellite "usher in" that none of the previous LEO, single channel, > > analog FM satellites managed to usher in? > > > > Will the tiny cubesat form factor (to which we've been relegated by the > > intense competition for launches from the small satellite revolution we > > pioneered) make the difference this time? If not, what will? > > > > The most common argument I've seen for launching more analog FM LEO > > satellites is that they are needed to replace existing analog FM LEO > > satellites that are now failing. Is that "ushering in" something new? > > > > --Phil > > _______________________________________________ > > Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org <javascript:;> <javascript:;>. 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 <javascript:;>. 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
