Drizzle ended when the drive did and mine was the first car in the lot. I gathered my things and started up the tower trail. Oops. I turned back to grab the crappie pole. Back on track, snow and puddles and slush filled the way. Slick spots were few, but I tromped across lots of shattered ice bits deposited by tree limbs periodically letting loose cascades of tinkling cylinders. During the half-hour climb I also heard metal bars ringing as if struck by other metal bars. When I arrived atop the foggy summit, I discovered decimated ice sheets shed by the communications and fire towers, with some shards nearly an inch thick. I rejected passing through the active debris field to my usual sitting spot and set up well away from danger in the lee of a small shed. I quickly strung up a 17m dipole and switched on my Rock-Mite to launch the operation. Unfortunately, the radio failed to deliver any audio to my headphones. Puzzled and annoyed but undeterred, I replaced one dipole for another, ...
For at least two decades, most radio amateurs getting involved with satellite communications have started on the "easy sats," FM birds that simplify hams' first forays into space. During this time, four satellites produced by AMSAT North America have been wildly popular. Two of them, AO-51 (2004-2011) and AO-85 (2015-2020), are now defunct. The others, AO-91 (2017- ) and AO-92 (2018- ), are limping toward their demise. While a few other FM satellites remain operational, and FM repeater operations are sometimes scheduled from the International Space Station, AMSAT-NA recently acknowledged it should have a role in repopulating the easy-sat stage. AO-51, launched in 2004, was operational for more than 7 years. Photo: VE4NSA. In its 2021-2035 Strategic Plan , AMSAT committed to developing, deploying, and supporting a series of cubesats to operate in low Earth orbit (LEO). And in the July/August Apogee View , President Robert Bankston, KE4AL, prioritized options for meet...