AMSAT FM Voice Satellites for Disaster Comms             1 Sept 2005
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Updated 26 Sept 2005

Since most cell phones, and 2way repeaters and most other infra-
structure in the disaster area are the first to go out or be over-
loaded, it is probably appropriate for the AMSATS that can be used 
for mobile FM communications, be declared for emergency and priority 
traffic only for a few days after a disaster.

Simply have a few well endowed stations to start operating as a 
net-control and take organized traffic from stations with emergency 
or priority traffic in the affected areas.

If the first net control does not fully cover the area, then he can 
ask for "an alternate net control in the direction of the satellite 
travel" to hand it over too.

TRACKING:
Here are some tips on guessing when SO50 and SO51 ECHO will be in 
view while mobile near 30N latitude:

ECHO:  
  - Pass windows are always between 830 to 1330 local
    and  8PM to just after midnight daily.  
  - If you have a good pass early in the window, you will get one
    or two more 100 minutes later each.   
  - If you get one in the morning, you will get one 11 hours and
    10 minutes later that evening.  
  - For any given pass today, you will probably get one tomorrow 
    45 minutes earlier or 1 hour later.

SO50:
  - the window periods moves earlier 21 minutes a day.
  - Pass to pass time is 100 minutes,
  - window to window is 10hrs 20m or 14hrs 10 min depending
    on which one is first
  - Day to day, a pass will be either 47 minutes later 
    or 65 minutes earlier.

These may sound tedious, but with a pencil and some scribbles in 
the log while mobile, you can easily guess when to QSY to make a 
mobile satellite pass...

When I travel on long trips in the summer and will be playing radio, 
I find this easier to manage than trying to dig out a laptop in the 
car and try to get precise times.

de WB4APR, Bob