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G1KQH > AMSAT 13.03.05 02:50l 83 Lines 4525 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 5E1637G1KQH
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: ham sats no longer worth it
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<DB0MRW<DB0ERF<DB0FBB<DB0BI<DB0NOS<DB0EA<DB0RES<ON0AR<
GB7CIP<GB7COV<GB7COV
Sent: 050313/0028Z @:GB7COV.#29.GBR.EU #:16953 [Coventry] $:5E1637G1KQH
From: G1KQH@GB7COV.#29.GBR.EU
To : AMSAT@WW
Having once been an Amsat member and paid my dues, I was at one time very
interested in Amateur Satellite transmission, but the death came for me
when AO13 splashed down or burnt up, and an awful amount of money was
wasted in my opinion on the P3D (AO40) project. Which was not even ready
for launch when Oscar 13 came to meet its maker. Yes I gave to P3Ds
future, with extra donations on top of my normal annual Amsat
contribution, we were asked to do so at the time, and show support for the
project to meet the on going rising costs and future needs.
Amateurs, and the rig manufactures the world over, were made to believe
that AO40 was going deliver something really special for the Amateur
community, and the radios like the FT736 were designed around it (Too
early for P3Ds service may I add). We were made to think that downlinking
was going to be a thing of the past on VHF (Mode B), although P3D would
still support it, and the new era of SHF downlinks would open, offering
far better quality via low noise, and SHF Uplinks would be a thing of the
future? All in all it sounded good, as smaller Aerials, could or would,
achieve the same, if not better performance than previous UHF/VHF setups.
However AO40 was a very over technical, and extremely a costly large
Satellite compared to what had been built or launched in previous Amateur
cargos. Adding all this to the huge cost of launch, which is always a
piggy back onto a commercial payload, with them paying the brunt of the
cost and Amsat paying a very small charge in comparison, is it a wonder it
ever got off the ground?
Phase 3D Launched years behind schedule, but when it finally did see
orbit, at first it was thought to be a success story? However it was soon
in trouble, and went off air suddenly! It was recovered a few weeks later,
but had lost its 2m Downlink, where was the dual redundancy in such an
expensive Amateur super Sat? The story I heard it was never really right
after this, although it gave service for a couple of years on 70cm
uplinking, and SHF downlinks, until the main batteries died! Or went short
circuit, not allowing the backup batteries to be brought into service?
Again was it lack of foresight? These main batteries were many years old
when purchased by Amsat (Something bought on the cheap prehaps?) and were
they even maintained while the payload was being built? Taking all this
into account, is it any wonder they gave up with minimum service? When
corners are cut on simple things like not buying the best that money could
afford, without power the show is over and thats what has been proved!
SHF was pushed as the main stay, after all, thats all what was left after
Mode B disappeared. But very few Amatuers had the hard cash to be bothered
in SHF frequencies (including myself) or even the interest. Again thats
where I considered P3D to be a dead loss, overcost spent in bright ideas,
when they should have gone for simplicity, and reliabilty!
Amsat should of stuck with the tried and trusted, smaller, lighter,
payload via the AO10/13 design, and this would have allowed more regular
replacement launches, with cheaper duplication in rebuilds. Allowing
priority to 70cm uplink and 2m downlink service (Mode B), and a small
window to SHF (Mode S) if required? After all, 70cm and 2m has been, and
still is the mainstay of all the base rigs produced by the rig
manufactures, so why even bother with SHF? SHF converters are not even
produced in the mass, only a few specialist companies make them, Down East
Microwave being one, at a charge that frightens most off from purchasing
them, never mind even having a go at building one. Not for the faint
hearted who can't even solder a PL259 with a poker.
Taking all this into account I understand there is a replacement back on
the cards, based on previous A013 designs? However could it be too little
too late? Class B Amateurs who were once the main stay of the Oscar
projects like 13 and 40, have moved onto other things. The changes in new
licence conditions (Axing of the Morse), has brought about HF pastures
where we don't need intelligent tin cans to bounce our signals off any
longer, just the good old ionsphere. So is there a need for expensive
Oscar projects when they may not see any real use, or users?
Just a few of my thought you might be interested in?
73 - Steve, G1KQH @ GB7COV
Message timed: 00:17 on 13 Mar 05
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RSGB Member since 1982. GQRP 11049
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