OK I do apologize, as was pointed out I completely misread your wording in the original email. While my facts still stand on the challenges of building the satellite I stand corrected on your argument. Sorry!
Bryce KB1LQC On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 6:26 PM, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: > Hold on. Not once did I ever suggest that ANY satellite was "easy to > build". I very much respect the effort, research, testing, etc. that goes > into every one, be it a flying repeater or not. My reference to the term > "easysats" comes from Clint or one of his ilk that seems determined to > show the rest of the amateur community how "easy" the FM sats are to work. > That's all well and good for them to do that too. However, I was drawn to > satellite work because of the challenge. I mean call me weird or crazy > but when something loses it's challenge and becomes too easy, it begins to > bore me pretty quickly. > 73, > Michael, W4HIJ > > > On 2/14/2014 7:00 PM, Bryce Salmi wrote: > > To expand upon the flying repeater email. > > "I'd be interested to know if there is going to be any technical > challenge to working Fox 2 or if it will just be yet another ones of > Clint's Easysats." > > Now, the actual important comment in this sentence is the reference that > Fox-1 being an FM bird is assumed to be easy to build. Strictly and > professionally speaking this is a huge understatement of the technical > challenges of any satellite. I'll assume you do not work in the the > aerospace industry or have volunteering to build one of the AMSAT > satellites (more than welcome to give it a shot!). Even an easysat is > incredibly hard to build. Beyond the actual transmission mode the satellite > must maintain a healthy power budget, provide telemetry to monitor the > status of the satellite, be implemented in a 95mmx95mmx95mm space (inside > the cube), survive the 5 year mission's expected 30krad dose of radiation, > and survive 16 sunrises/sunsets per day in the vacuum of space (have heat? > can't use convection to get rid it!). Just to name a few items... > > To put the sunrise/sunset into perspective (think of the road and other > objects you see cracking due to expansion and contraction) MIL-STD-1540 > which is a good idea to follow and the associated specifications usually > require a spacecraft to be designed to survive -34C to +71C temperature > extremes. Try operating a consumer product in that environment and it will > fail pretty quickly. > > Also, from an extremely high-level point of view, the only difference > between Fox-1 and Fox-2 will be the FM repeater being changed to the > Software Defined Transponder (SDX). The SDX is a bit more power hungry so > it requires an upgraded Maximum Power Point Tracker and more solar cells to > produce the needed power. Otherwise, Fox-2 and Fox-1 will share a lot of > the same technology. This is good because we don't want to re-invent the > wheel. Therefore I respectively reject the idea that just because Fox-1 is > an FM bird it is not technically challenging to design and build. > > Bryce > KB1LQC > > > On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Bryce Salmi <[email protected]>wrote: > >> You can already find out more about the prototype maximum power point >> tracker that will be used to power the software defined transponder on >> Fox-2! >> >> http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P13271/public/Home >> >> Bryce >> KB1LQC >> >> >> On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 2:25 PM, Clayton Coleman >> <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> Hi Michael >>> >>> You're in luck. The Phase 2 Fox series are based on the SDX transponder >>> as >>> tested on ARISSat-1 and not your favorite "flying repeaters." >>> >>> Learn more by visiting the "Meet the Fox Project" page at: >>> http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1113 >>> >>> Welcome aboard. You can join AMSAT and renew via the web store or by >>> calling the office. >>> >>> See http://store.amsat.org/catalog/ and click on "Membership" for >>> several >>> options. >>> >>> 73 >>> Clayton >>> W5PFG >>> On Feb 14, 2014 4:04 PM, "Michael" <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> > If Fox 2 is a linear bird, I'll even put my money where my mouth is and >>> > renew my long dormant membership in AMSAT because I will feel that >>> they >>> > are moving in a direction that I and many others have interest in. If >>> it's >>> > just another flying repeater though well..... YAWN....I'm getting >>> sleepy >>> > now. >>> > 73, >>> > Michael, W4HIJ >>> >> > _______________________________________________ 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
