On 8/19/11 7:51 AM, Gregg Wonderly wrote: > What kind of digital are you suggesting? Voice and data both? A > digital path from anywhere on the planet to the appropriate ground > station is easily doable with some "documentation" of the ground stations.
Digital voice would be the easiest to support since the data rate is so modest. Low rate data (< 100 kb/s) wouldn't be much harder. All it takes is a stabilized platform with microwave antennas. Any ground station with an Internet connection could automatically link with the ISS and relay it to a central point (e.g., Houston) and then hand it off to the next ground station. One advantage we hams have always had over NASA itself are our numbers and geographical distribution. We obviously wouldn't be able to cover the large parts of the earth that are entirely water but we could still do a pretty good job with the rest. _______________________________________________ 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
