On 10/17/11 15:23, William Leijenaar wrote:
Hi AMSATs,
I really wonder if this ever can and will be launched.
AMSAT started with eperimental communication systems on the early oscars, and grown into highly complex satellites like AO-40, which was a real achievement for ham radio amateurs. However recent years there is a big trend on CubeSats, of which most are bleep-sats as they only send digital data (as cheap downlink ?). Luckily not all CubeSats are like that :o)
At least these CubeSats are under some kind of control, and don't survive very
long or can be switched off to minimize RF polution.
When I see the idea of 100 chipsats that will all send digital RF signals I
wonder where amateur satellite hobby will go into.
I see these ChipSats more like RF polution and I believe you can better put
your money and effort in designing a real communication satellite.
I wonder what is the mission of these 100 chips ? (commercial ? publicity ?)
Is there any technology thing we learn from this ?
73 de PE1RAH
William Leijenaar
William, I have wondered about this, too.
I have come to think of these as seeds. Seeds that plant the idea of
satellites in the heads of people and make them want larger, better
(heo) systems.
They won't last that long, so the idea of RF pollution isn't really
there. And, if the sat sub-band can have a section devoted to these
cube sats such that they aren't everywhere, even better.
The more people that get a taste of satellites, the better.
--STeve Andre'
wb8wsf en72
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