73/ Håkan
AMSAT-NA is developing a “hosted payload” for a spacecraft that
Millennium SpaceSystems (MSS) of El Segundo, California, is under contract to design,
launch, and operate for the US government. The satellite’s potential footprint
could extend over the US from the Mid-Pacific to Africa.
The amateur radio payload will comprise a Software Defined Transponder
capable of supporting many different modes, including analog SSB.
Gary Pearce KN4AQ writes: We’ve been hearing about a Geosynchronous
satellite for the Western Hemisphere for a while now, but not many details. In this
episode from the DCC, project leader Bob McGwier N4HY fills in a lot of
blanks. There’s no launch date yet, and maybe not quite enough info to start
building your ground station (a ‘Five & Dime’ setup – 5 GHz up, 10 GHz down), but
you can start thinking about it.
Bob’s Phase 4 presentation at DCC can be viewed at the following link: