> John. I would not suggest to ignore it. But AMSAT is not DARPA and cannot > in my view afford to fly technology just for technologies sake > > Robert WB5MZO
There are all sorts of reasons why flying digital transponders is a good idea. Your cell phone (presuming you have one) uses digital technology to improve battery life, range, and to provide a variety of other services, including digital data, and the same benefits could be harnessed aboard amateur satellites. The desire to do so isn't just for technology's sake: it is to enable a wide variety of new capabilities that can't be achieved with conventional analog systems. I understand the desire for being "conservative", but there is a different from being conservative and simply ignoring the revolutionary trends in communication that are enabling revolutions in phone, data and voip services. 73 Mark K6HX _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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
