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Author Topic: Our Future!  (Read 700 times)

K6LCS

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Our Future!
« on: February 08, 2021, 10:02:49 AM »

Radio Ham wins Congressional App Challenge

High-school student Sean Donelan KM6NGN won the 2020 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for California's 11th District for his NetHam App

Patch reports:

The CAC is a public initiative to encourage young people to learn how to code in an effort to inspire creativity and encourage interest in STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — education.

The winner of the challenge was Sean Donelan, who lives in Concord and attends Northgate High School. Donelan designed and created, "NetHam: The Public Service Event Coordinator's Third Hand."

Donelan's winning software application replaces amateur radio operators' large, unwieldy equipment and automates their more basic tasks. The app is meant to allow operators to more easily serve as long-range communicators for public events.

"I congratulate Sean on the design of a creative and useful app that would benefit the amateur radio community and look forward to seeing 'NetHam' represent the many talents of Contra Costa County's students when on display in the United States Capitol," said Congressman DeSaulnier, who hosted the competition for the sixth time.

Thank you, CVARC, for the post!

Read the full story at -

https://patch.com/california/concord-ca/concord-student-wins-congressional-app-challenge
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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
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KG4RUL

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2021, 10:16:05 AM »

OK, just what exactly is this 'groundbreaking' app?  The article shows a
 picture of a kid at a table with an HT and some sort of radio gear.  No further details at all.
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SOFAR

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2021, 11:29:05 AM »

OK, just what exactly is this 'groundbreaking' app?  The article shows a
 picture of a kid at a table with an HT and some sort of radio gear.  No further details at all.

There's a video that explains it.
https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/20-ca11/
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KF4HR

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2021, 12:42:54 PM »

I hope the future of amateur radio satellites involves a replacement for AO-13.  Those were the days!

KF4HR
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KG4RUL

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2021, 01:23:34 PM »

First, how are satellites involved?

Second, how does adding more hardware and requiring additional training enhance communications?

I will give him props for devising an interesting gadget but, what is wrong with using the old Mark II voice and brain combination?
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SOFAR

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2021, 02:23:20 PM »


Yeah, too much training for what are usually transient volunteers. Entering DTMF codes instead of keying up and speaking?  Part of the benefit of radio communications , is the fact that info is put out over the air.

I also give him credit for configuring the devices. Just not practical.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2021, 02:26:21 PM by SOFAR »
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KD7RDZI2

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2021, 02:46:54 PM »

I hope the future of amateur radio satellites involves a replacement for AO-13.  Those were the days!

KF4HR

A network of 4 QO-100 sats for worldwide coverage could also suffice
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K6LCS

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2021, 09:05:57 PM »

>> ... A network of 4 QO-100 sats for worldwide coverage could also suffice ...

Your Lottery winnings and will/estate directives may be forwarded to ...

https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
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http://www.work-sat.com
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VE3WGO

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2021, 05:00:35 AM »

One big part of our future might be an Amateur Radio transponder on the biggest satellite of all - the Moon!

The Amsat-DL proposed LunART looks very interesting as a future endeavour.  https://amsat-dl.org/en/lunart-luna-amateur-radio-transponder/

... and it is in consideration by the European Space Agency for around 2027 or later.   https://ideas.esa.int/servlet/hype/IMT?userAction=Browse&templateName=&documentId=81f70b2b01f6993c1b76fb6b572ee6c5

That gives us enough time to learn more generally about 2.4 and 10 GHz systems, and prepare ourselves.  There would be beacons up to 47 GHz.  Amateur basestations (2.4 GHz up/10 GHz down mode) designs could learn from the currently-used QO-100 types.  They might also include VHF and UHF links.

73, Ed
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KD7RDZI2

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2021, 09:33:24 AM »

>> ... A network of 4 QO-100 sats for worldwide coverage could also suffice ...

Your Lottery winnings and will/estate directives may be forwarded to ...

https://www.amsat.org/donate/

or just start shopping https://shop.amsat-dl.org/  ;D
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KD7RDZI2

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2021, 11:50:16 AM »

One big part of our future might be an Amateur Radio transponder on the biggest satellite of all - the Moon!

The Amsat-DL proposed LunART looks very interesting as a future endeavour.  https://amsat-dl.org/en/lunart-luna-amateur-radio-transponder/

... and it is in consideration by the European Space Agency for around 2027 or later.   https://ideas.esa.int/servlet/hype/IMT?userAction=Browse&templateName=&documentId=81f70b2b01f6993c1b76fb6b572ee6c5

That gives us enough time to learn more generally about 2.4 and 10 GHz systems, and prepare ourselves.  There would be beacons up to 47 GHz.  Amateur basestations (2.4 GHz up/10 GHz down mode) designs could learn from the currently-used QO-100 types.  They might also include VHF and UHF links.

73, Ed

That is the route... with or without lottery winnings...
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VE3WGO

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2021, 08:33:03 AM »

Maybe one efficient way toward the future is to find some sympathetic broadcaster that is sending up a GEO sat over the Americas, and include a clone of the QO-100 transponder on it. 

The Amsat organizations in our western hemisphere would have to swallow their pride, forget about "Not Invented Here" syndrome, and just do it!

Think of all the R&D money that would be saved by using an already space-rated (with proven reliability, I might add!) Hamsat platform.  And that saved money could be used to offset testing and launch costs.

73, Ed
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W5PFG

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2021, 08:46:09 AM »

The Amsat organizations in our western hemisphere would have to swallow their pride, forget about "Not Invented Here" syndrome, and just do it!

AMSAT has been seeking out rideshare opportunities just like QO-100 for years. AMSAT-DL got lucky. Everyone is happy about it. There's no reason to spread a blatant lie that AMSAT wouldn't take advantage of the same opportunity.
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VE3WGO

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2021, 02:37:26 PM »

I wasn't refering to the rideshare.  I was talking about the transponder. I even said "include a clone of the QO-100 transponder".  I guess you missed that sentence.

So whenever it is that Amsat-NA or another Amsat gets an opportunity to put up a microwave transponder, they might not need to design a new one...  a successfully proven, reliable, and state of the art design exists and is in use right now in QO-100: it has 2.4 GHz up, 10 GHz down, works well, and the multi-sourced affordable ground equipment does voice, cw, data.   Only problem is that, as a GEO, it only covers Europe, Asia, and Africa.  So it would be nice if North and South American hams also had something just like that so we could enjoy the satellite on microwaves as much as our ham colleagues overseas are doing.

But then there is the Amsat Five and Dime, 5 GHz up, 10 GHz down for Amsat-NA's Golf-TEE and Golf-1.  I see Jerry N0JY's slide presentation on Microwaves in future satellites from May 2020 online, but there was no mention at all of QO-100 in the presentation, even though QO-100 had been in orbit for a year and a half already and operating magnificently.

Is the "Five and Dime" transponder different from QO-100 just to be different?  It seems so.  In my business, we call that "Not invented here".

Granted, maybe the QO-100 transponder only works well on a GEO with no Doppler, but if that's the case, then how can Five an Dime tolerate it either, unless it's exclusively digital with some form of compensation?  If Five and Dime is exclusively digital with no CW or SSB modes,  then that's another discussion altogether....

73, Ed
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K9JKM

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Re: Our Future!
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2021, 06:03:33 AM »

If you're an AMSAT member check out the GEO proposal in the May/June 2015 AMSAT Journal.
The archive can be accessed at https://launch.amsat.org/The-AMSAT-Journal-2015
The primary mission didn't launch but we had our foot in the door. Now to open a few more doors ...
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