I'd guess: 1. probably easier to manage, with a central net coordinator and many remotes. 2. there is lots of equipment 3. cheaper

The satellites over the Caribbean are probably pretty swamped right now, too, and operating at or past their capacity. That's just a wild guess but if these past few weeks wouldn't put them past their capacity I don't know what would.

I'm no longer active, but one of the main attractions to the hobby was how simple everything was. The idea that with some power and a basic antenna, I could talk to a radio built 50 years ago with no more alignment then choosing the same frequency, was always very intriguing to me.

I addition to what LVD said, Broadcast: I can say something and a good number of people will likely hear, and can relay.