Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Microcap & Penny Stocks : Globalstar Telecommunications Limited GSAT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joe Brown who wrote (2859)	2/8/1999 9:12:00 PM
From: Rocket Scientist	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 29987

From the Globalstar web site: A Soyuz rocket carrying four Globalstar satellites has been rolled out to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and is being prepared for launch. The earliest time this launch may occur is at 10:54pm EST, February 8, 1999. Globalstar expects to complete the launching of its constellation of 48 satellites, with four in-orbit spares,by December 1999. For more information call the Globalstar launch hotline at (408) 933-4000, option 3. Globalstar expects to complete the launching of its constellation of 48 satellites, with four in-orbit spares, by December 1999. A press release will be issued approximately 10 days prior to each Globalstar launch.

To: Joe Brown who wrote (2859)	2/8/1999 11:23:00 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

Aerial Size doesn't matter! It's what you do with it that counts. Well, that's what they told me when I asked. A big aerial, tuned to the right wavelength, picks up and sends more signal, more efficiently. But with a small aerial you can use smart alecky electronic gizzardry to enhance the signal so the aerial might be less efficient, but too bad - just waste a low-cost electronic component or two which people would rather pay for than lug around a big cigar thing on a little electronic box. With the first constellation, satellites will be 1414 kilometres high and as low as 10 or 15 degrees above the horizon, so the distance for the signal to travel is maybe 3 or 4,000 km. It takes some serious grunt to send a signal so far through rain, sleet and snow like some bedraggled postman making a "The Mail Must Go Through" heroic effort. With a poor aerial system, the battery would be drained to get enough oomph into the aether and up to the satellite. Neither would the handset be able to 'see' the weak signal coming back without a dirty great aerial sticking up like a flag pole. With Constellation 2, they will aim to have satellites 200 km high and 1,000 or them, so signal pathways will be maybe 300 or 400 km so a little aerial should be able to do the trick. With Qualcomm bringing out really clever little MSM3100 type ASICs, we can expect connectivity and battery life to go on improving. That's my theory anyway. Also, it means that Globalstar will totally wipe Iridium because Globalstar will have the coverage, the tiny internal aerial, the battery life, the excellent sound, the WWeb connectivity, the satellite to satellite connection [in the later constellations]. Iridium will be a technological blind alley. Iridium doesn't have the easy scalability of Globalstar, nor the access to Qualcomm's technology. It isn't just any old CDMA Iridium will be able to use while retaining high performance, building and rain penetration. Rah! Rah! Rah! Globalstar. Maurice PS: Thanks Valueman for the launch information. It seems that we are on the way to a constellation. That's fun. I'd love to watch it live on the Web though. Old third hand info in writing from flatoday.com is better than nothing, but not quite the real, 3D thing with stereophonic sound coming through my Qualcomm, WWeb, Anita [TM]. Ah, dreams.... [Okay, maybe 200 km and 1000 satellites is an exaggeration, but 600 km and 150 might be possible]