July 2020 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

Re: [amsat-bb] Foolishness
by Michael Tondee 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Re: Foolishness Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2020 15:50:32 -0400 From: Michael Tondee <mat_62(a)charter.net> To: amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org >> I choose not to support the organization or get involved at present and have not in quite a long while because I don't like the direction it has gone in and see it as stagnant of any real innovation for at least the last ten years. I can guarantee you there are other hams out here like me too. Since I'm no longer a paying member,feel free to disregard my opinion but judging by the conversations I've had with others who feel the way I do, AMSAT may be doing so at it's own peril. Many, many of us are tired of the AMSAT status quo. I'm not even sure that the direction Ms. Thompson and Mr. Stoddard want to take the organization in is one I'd like to go but at least they are trying to do SOMETHING! The comment someone made earlier about a couple of new directors breaking up the "good ole boys club" seems very apropos and I second it. I follow this list faithfully always looking and hoping that someone wil wake this organization from it's at least decade long nap! Maybe that's finally happening, I don't know, one can only hope. Not all of us can volunteer, much as some of us would like to but if you show me you're actually doing something besides simply being content to wave antennas at flying FM repeaters you will again receive my financial support. I don't purport to be part of somesort of "silent majority" or anything like that but I do know my view is shared by many. Y'all have a nice day! 73, Michael W4HIJ > These satellites don't just build themselves. If you choose not to get > involved with YOUR organization, then don't post on amsat-bb someday wondering > why there are no more satellites available for you to "play radio" with. > > For some, this may be "just a hobby", for those who volunteer to serve AMSAT > with their personal time and effort, it is much more than "just a hobby". I > believe that every volunteer comes to AMSAT to serve the cause of keeping > amateur radio in space, but may see different ways to move the organization > forward toward that goal. > > There is a Board election coming up very soon. Like all elections, it behooves > you as a good citizen of AMSAT to be informed of the issues and make a wise > choice in voting for your elected representatives. As my high school civics > teacher (and probably yours) said, "if you don't vote, you don't have aright > to complain". > > 73, Dan Schultz N8FGV > >

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Re: [amsat-bb] Non Profits and Boards
by Dwayne Sinclair 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

I’m not on QRZ. Hamqth qrzcw, lots, club log, or FCC. I asked QRZ to delete my online account and instead, they left my account (I can still login), but deleted my callsign lookup. Regards Dwayne NA6US > On Jul 12, 2020, at 8:33 PM, W3AB/GEO <w3ab(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > Now it gets even better. > > Who is NA6US? Dwayne Sinclair? Didn't come up on qrz.com <http://qrz.com/>. > > Why was this posted under > > MICHAEL A TONDEE, W4HIJ's name? > > > ___ > Sent from my two way wrist watch > 73 de W3AB/GEO > On Jul 12, 2020, at 20:06, Dwayne Sinclair via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org <mailto:amsat-bb@amsat.org>> wrote: > Disappointed to say the least with both board and membership. I have have been a board member on a number of non profits and my wife is currently an executive director of a non profit. In the non profits my wife and I have been involved with, legal and accounting fees are a “normal” > course of doing business and don't require all the board or membership to approve. If board members are creating situation that require a legal response then that just plain sucks but is “normal”. Better to have a board that can work together but it appears this is currently not the case. Personally I am satisfied with the official response. > > Dwayne NA6US. > > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb <https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb>

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AMSAT Member Mailing list
by Bruce Perens 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Bruce Perens <bruce(a)perens.com> Date: Sun, Jul 12, 2020, 8:32 PM Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT Member Mailing list To: Kevin <wa7fwf(a)gmail.com> The mailing list was never compromised. But my HOME address, under "Open Research Institute" was used as the return address. This was a mistake and I didn't ask for it. I was, however, the author of the mailer, in which I introduced the candidates. The mailing was done by a bulk Mail company and did not involve me. I got one returned letter, informed someone responsible who had a right to see that address, and promptly forgot it. Thanks Bruce On Sun, Jul 12, 2020, 7:11 PM Kevin via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Hello All, > > In a previous email to the BB I posted the link to the letter we all > received as members. > > > https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200710_AMSAT_L… > > I was re-reading it and something caught my eye that I had missed before. > > "AMSAT did not provide a copy of its membership mailing addresses to > Open Research Institute." > > Just how was our mailing list compromised? This seems like a serious > breech of security, was this a hack? was any other information lost? > was it ever found out how it happened? is our mailing list as they say > "out in the wind"? > > Michelle could you possibly check from the ORI side and backtrack how > ORI came into possession of the AMSAT mailing list, was it something > that was procured online? > > AMSAT needs to follow up on this privacy issue and report back what it > found and any steps that were taken to prevent this from happening in > the future. > > > I look forward to an answer > > 73 Kevin WA7FWF #19623 > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions > expressed > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >

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Non Profits and Boards
by Dwayne Sinclair 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Disappointed to say the least with both board and membership. I have have been a board member on a number of non profits and my wife is currently an executive director of a non profit. In the non profits my wife and I have been involved with, legal and accounting fees are a “normal” course of doing business and don't require all the board or membership to approve. If board members are creating situation that require a legal response then that just plain sucks but is “normal”. Better to have a board that can work together but it appears this is currently not the case. Personally I am satisfied with the official response. Dwayne NA6US.

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Good news - Floating Vivado license available for community use
by Michelle Thompson 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Good news - if you are working on open source amateur radio satellite FPGA code, we have a resource available for you. Thanks to Yasme Foundation and ARRL Foundation support, Open Research Institute has purchased a floating Vivado license (Vivado HL System Edition). This includes the System Generator for DSP. The only requirement is that the work be open source and publicly accessible. The license files are distributed through a Github key management function, so if you already have a GitHub repository, then you are ready to go. Get in touch with me with your GitHub account name to start setup. The process has been tested but I'm sure some snags will be revealed as more users come onboard. If you are working on AMSAT-NA closed source FPGA work, then there are at least two older node-locked Vivado licenses available. You should already have access to those from within engineering. There's a lot of really great opportunities to implement LDPC and other high-performance error correcting codes, along with finite state machines and camera support. Does anyone have a need for another type of license? If there is something standing in your way of getting things done, please let me know. -Michelle W5NYV

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Re: [amsat-bb] Members Please Read
by Clint Bradford 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

>> … Did the organization spend money when you literally threaten them with litigation? My problem was never with AMSAT-NA. It was one of their volunteers - ‘EWK - who was accusing me of plagiarism, of otherwise being dishonest, and his additional libelous, published statements intended to damage my reputation. Legal recourse? It would have taken a lot of money for me to initiate formal litigation. But that was never my intent. I knew as soon as the AMSAT-NA board saw how close they were to becoming involved in such a case, they would rein in the threat. Patrick collaborated creating an obscene, defamatory Web site for a short while, then, apparently lost interest. My “cease and desist” letter achieved its intended result, as far as I am concerned. Clint Bradford K6LCS

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ANS-194 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-194 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and commun- icating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites. The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it. Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans In this edition: * AMSAT Leadership Explains 2018-2020 Legal Expenses * Update on HO-107 (HuskySat-1) * AMSAT-DL Proposes LunART - Luna Amateur Radio Transponder * Buffalo Soldiers Special Event on the Satellites * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Upcoming ARISS Contacts * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-194.01 ANS-194 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 194.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE July 12, 2020 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-194.01 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office is closed until further notice. For details, please visit https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT Leadership Explains 2018-2020 Legal Expenses On July 10, 2020, AMSAT President Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, sent the following letter to AMSAT members regarding legal expenses incurred during the 2018-2020 timeframe. The letter was co-signed by Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, Martha Saragovitz, Keith Baker, KB1SF, Robert Bankston, CPA, KE4AL, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Dr. Mark Hammond, N8MH, Bruce Paige, KK5DO, and Paul Stoetzer, N8HM. https://tinyurl.com/ANS-194-Letter [ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Update on HO-107 (HuskySat-1) AMSAT Vice President - Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, posted the following update on HO-107 (HuskySat-1) on the AMSAT-BB: While it is disappointing that the transponder did not see a longer period of use following the science missions, the overall HuskySat-1/HO-107 project and mission were quite beneficial for our partner and for AMSAT. The HuskySat-1 team were able to command their satellite and experiments and receive the telemetry they sought, and AMSAT was able to work through the extensive process of making a new design for a "black box" radio module that can be integrated into a non-AMSAT spacecraft and fly in the space environment. The LTM (Linear Transponder Module) on HO-107 worked for over three months after HuskySat-1 came alive following its deployment. The failure of the LTM came during or just after a period of full sun where LTM temperatures reached over 80 degrees Celsius. While licensed and operated as an amateur radio satellite by AMSAT during the transponder use, there are some facts that set HO-107 apart from our Fox-1 CubeSats and other AMSAT satellites. 1. It's not our satellite. We have no control and may not have any insight into how a partner actually uses the LTM. While we see the LTM temperatures and many of the other typical data fields that we downlink to FoxTelem regarding LTM health, data such as temperature of the host environment as well as other specific information like power and the state of the other systems in a host satellite may or may not be available to us. Whether LTM is operated within design limits is entirely up to the host. The University of Washington HuskySat Labs team was very cooperative with us on this mission, however there are things regarding their mission that we do not know because they are processing and studying their data for use in their thesis and classes and preparing it for release in a specific way typical of such an institution today. AMSAT is generally more forthcoming with information about our missions but what we can and have said about this mission is determined by UW. That is really no different to certain aspects of our own missions. Most members are likely familiar with the vague wording I provide for some of our launch timelines and that is the result of the same thing, in the owner of the launch vehicle or LSP/APIC determining what we can say to the public and when. 2. HO-107 was the first ever use of a new product, the AMSAT LTM. The LTM idea was first put forth at the AMSAT leadership strategic planning meeting in 2017 and is now coming into availability for other non-AMSAT CubeSats to fly amateur radio on their mission. HO-107 is the pilot production of LTM and was developed in partnership with UW HuskySat-1. It was the first CubeSat radio module designed and built by AMSAT for use in other host CubeSats, and UW was key in working with us through the design and processes needed to provide such a module. They did not buy it as, nor did we give it to them as an "off the shelf" product as we plan to for future LTM production. LTM was developed from the Fox-1E linear transponder design, and provided in a partnership with UW that started in November 2014 when we made an agreement with University of Washington to fly an amateur radio on their CubeSat mission. Overall, the HuskySat-1 team were quite happy with the telemetry and command performance even with the LTM anomalies showing up toward the end of their experiments. In the process of getting HuskySat-1 to orbit several students became interested in amateur radio, and we have already had preliminary discussions of future joint mission plans. The ability to provide more LTM to new and future partners will increase the number of orbiting satellites carrying amateur radio, at a low cost to AMSAT and the partner, keeping amateur radio in space even as we develop newer and more capable satellites. There is no doubt that HO-107 was a success in many ways beyond the operational life of the transponder. As usual, the AMSAT Engineering team of volunteers deserve the praise for putting yet another amateur radio in space be it in our own satellite, or in a partner satellite! [ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT Vice President - Engineering, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it all begins with GOLF-TEE – a technology demonstrator for deployable solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the ride. The journey will be worth it! https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT-DL Proposes LunART - Luna Amateur Radio Transponder AMSAT-DL has submitted a proposal to the European Space Agency to place an amateur radio communications link on the Large European Lander. This system would support direct communication with earth through amateur radio frequencies in the microwave bands, support University and Student Payloads with direct access to their experiments, allow Radio Science for a huge community of radio amateur operators and scientists worldwide. It would also provide an important back-up communication capability and capacity during emergency or when the ESA network is busy. More details can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-LunART AMSAT wishes our friends at AMSAT-DL the best of luck on their proposal. This would be a great resource for amateur radio should it come to fruition. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Buffalo Soldiers Special Event on the Satellites In honor of Buffalo Soldiers Month and to commemorate the formation of the United States Army 9th and 10th Calvary Buffalo Soldiers Regiments the Texas Parks and Wildlife will take part of a worldwide amateur radio special event on July 25th - 26th, 2020. Transmissions will begin transmitting at 8am CST Saturday morning July 25 and will end 8pm CST Sunday July 26. Commemorative QSL cards and Certificates will be available (see the callsign W5W or W5B at the QRZ.com web site for QSL information). Operations will be held on: Voice 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters Digital FT8 on 20, 40 and 80 meters CW on 20, 40 meters Satellite Listen for the FCC assigned callsigns: W5W or W5B Shortwave Listeners (SWL) are encouraged to participate. For those without amateur radio privileges to transmit or listen in, please join us Saturday July 25 at 1pm CST on Facebook Live, look for Buffalo Soldiers Program - Texas Parks and Wildlife, for participation and a chance at a special QSL Card and Commemorative Certificate. For additional information about the Buffalo Soldiers legacy and an excellent video history about the Buffalo Soldiers with commentary from Judge Joe Green please visit www.qrz.com and enter W5W or W5B into the search box. [ANS thanks Rudy Hardy, W5HRH, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront. 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events Want to see AMSAT in action or learn more about amateur radio in space? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have been canceled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the information contained below is correct, there may be some that we missed. No events are currently scheduled. We wish all of you safekeeping and hope to be at a hamfest near you soon. [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT Vice President - User Services, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: EM57 & EM67 (Saturday 7/11 & 7/12) N4DCW may also stop in EM58, passes posted on his QRZ page. FN45 & FN46, VE2FUA, 7/12 & 7/13: Chris is heading out to a little known (to rovers at least) called Maine. Might want to get him while he is there. DN44, 7/13 – 7/17, @N7AGF FM for sure may bring linear gear if it fits. FM13 & FM03, 7/12 & 7/13, Wz4M is heading out Holiday Style EN20/30 Line, July 28-31, KX9X : Sean is moving quickly towards his VUCC/R award by heading out again for two more grids. Watch his Twitter for details. DM97/98 & EM08/09: Super Rover @ADoDX is heading out for the Kansas QSO party and N0E. More to come. @WY7AA is heading out again!!! Mon. 7/13 Drive day possible FM passes from DN63 Tues – Sat. 7/14 – 7/18 SSB and FM passes from DN64 Burgess Junction, WY. Some HF POTA K-4534 Big Horn National Forest Sun. 7/19 Travel day no sats, but internet updates Mon 7/20 SSB and FM passes from DN67/68. Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00 Tues 7/21 SSB and FM passes from DN57/58. Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00 Wed. 7/22 Travel day no sats Thurs 7/23 SSB and FM passes from DN55/56. Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00 Fri 7/24 SSB and FM passes from DN65/66. Every pass from about 16:00 – 04:00 Watch his QRZ page for details and updates. Please submit any additions or corrections to ke0pbr(a)gmail.com [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming ARISS Contacts Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Don Bosco Haacht Technisch en Beroepsonderwijs, Haacht, Belgium, Multi -point telebridge via AB1OC The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR Contact was successful: Fri 2020-07-10 10:49:51 UTC 27 deg (***) International Aerospace School, Ufa, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Ivan Vagner Contact is go for Fri 2020-07-17 19:10 UTC [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, ARISS Operations, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over +Congratulations to Kevin Manzer, N4UFO, on earning AMSAT GridMaster Award #12 for working all 488 continental US grids. Kevin notes that it took him just over five years, from 2013-2018, to accomplish this goal. More information regarding the GridMaster Award can be found at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/ (via KK5DO and N4UFO) +F4DXV and R9LR have set another new satellite distance record - this time on LilacSat-2. The 4,561 km QSO occured on 10-Jul-2020 at 04:23 UTC. Records are listed at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-SatDist (via F4DXV and N8HM) +An article about the first amateur radio communication system in lunar orbit, aboard LO-94, has been published at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-194-LO-94 (via BG2BHC on Twitter). +Congratulations to KP4RV for being the first station in Puerto Rico to receive the VUCC Award on amateur satellites (via KF7R on Twitter). +The European Space Agency recently published a how-to video regarding reception of ISS SSTV pictures. An ISS SSTV transmission is expected within the next few weeks in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of Apollo/Soyuz: https://youtu.be/HtC-BPcMruA +All issues of The AMSAT Journal dating back to 2014 are now available to AMSAT members on AMSAT's new membership portal. The 1969-2013 archive will be added at a later date. All editions of AMSAT's Symposium Proceedings are also available for members If you're a current AMSAT member, get logged on today. If you are not yet a member, consider joining today at https://launch.amsat.org/ +The 2020 edition of AMSAT’s Getting Started with Amateur Satellites is now available on the AMSAT store. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The book is presented in DRM-free PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite. The digital download is available for $15 at https://tinyurl.com/2020GettingStarted + The AMSAT Folding at home team continues to climb the rankings. Now in the top 900 of all teams at the time of this writing, the team has grown to 48 members with 67 active CPUs within the past 50 days and includes 12 members in the top 100,000 of all users. Alex Free, N7AGF, is our top contributor with over 159,000,000 points credited to AMSAT's team. For more information about the Folding at home project and how you can contribute to scientific research, including the fight against COVID-19, see https://foldingathome.org/. AMSAT's team number is 69710: https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/69710 --------------------------------------------------------------------- /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 233
by Jeff Moore 12 Jul '20

12 Jul '20

You can choose to ignore the problem as long as you don't care about the organization! IF you DO CARE - then you'd better do something about it - NOT IGNORE IT!!! Or you won't have an organization left to ignore!! 7 3 Jeff Moore -- KE7ACY CN94 On Sun, Jul 12, 2020 at 3:21 PM Gailen Marshall via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb(a)amsat.org> wrote: > Yes! Can we stick to the birds and let those interested in structural > squabbling have their own venue? Gailen N5GDM > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Jul 12, 2020, at 10:33, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > >

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Re: [amsat-bb] AMSAT Leadership Explanation ...
by Clint Bradford 12 Jul '20

12 Jul '20

For the good of AMSAT, to ensure our enjoyment of future amateur satellites, and for the general good of amateur radio: Thompson and Stoddard need to resign. Now. Clint Bradford

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WA9JBQ Request (Kevin)
by Stephen DeVience 12 Jul '20

12 Jul '20

"Additionally, the General Membership, GM, may normally attend BOD meets but have no voting rights." As a member, I was looking forward to receiving a Zoom link for the next BOD meeting, but after a quick search online, this seems to only be true for certain situations where government money is involved. We may need to hire a lawyer to figure it out for sure... I will just say that even as a non-profit, AMSAT is still like any other corporation in that it provides a product (satellites, publications, etc.) in return for compensation (donations, membership fees). Most members don't care how the sausage is made, but they will care if there are no new satellites because precious time and money are spent on internal conflict. They will vote with their pocketbooks when they find something else interesting to do. So the board needs to put aside its personal differences, find some compromises to the legitimate grievances on both sides, and focus on providing a good product that encourages people to continue donating. Otherwise AMSAT will go the way of Sears and we will all be stuck using cheap Chinese tools (satellites) instead. -Stephen, N8URE

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