- AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

AMSAT 2020 BoD Ballot Arrived : ??
by Gregory Beat 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

I received the 2020 AMSAT BoD ballot via US Postal Service today. I noticed that the envelope for this ballot is addressed to the AMSAT Secretary, Brennan Price, at a post office box in Vienna, VA. The envelope has my return address pre-printed in the upper left corner. The standard mail-in ballot practice, is to NOT use an identifiable return address. A separate ballot envelope (sometimes a different, specific color) is provided for the member’s ballot. This assures that the member’s ballot remains Secret and the envelope only Opened during the physical counting process. This minimizes or eliminates Ballot Tampering. == The 2020 mail-in ballot process is different than the 2019 election, when AMSAT used a third-party to assure a secret ballot for BoD election process. I previously worked for Ernst&Young, which handles sensitive and visible balloting for many high-profile organizations (expect the Oscars, that is PwC). I raise my hand in objection, that this 2020 mail-in balloting method does not assure the line of secrecy from member to the vote counting (tabulation) process. Greg Beat, w9gb AMSAT-NA life member == ANS-188 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins DATE: 2019 July 7 To All RADIO AMATEURS 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Update The 2019 AMSAT Board of Directors election will be conducted differently than in past elections. In previous years, the balloting process was handled by multiple vendors. This year, AMSAT has contracted with a single, independent party, ElectionBuddy, to conduct and fully manage the election process. Sincerely, Clayton L. Coleman, W5PFG AMSAT Secretary Sent from iPad Air

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RFI/EMI-quiet LED 48 inch T8 tube lights (to replace fluorescents)
by David J. Schmocker 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Everyone: Some of us have fluorescent tube-lights in our homes or garages and desire to replace them with energy-efficient LED bulbs. However as weak-signal enthusiasts, many LED bulbs are electrically noisy. So I set out to identify and test LED bulbs that are both energy efficient and EMI/RFI quiet (starting at 50.2 MHz because I do moon-bounce work there). This need for electrical quiet applies also to 2m and 70cm and other satellite bands too. 50.2 MHz test findings: Test site (KJ9I QTH): N5654 County Road F Sullivan, WI 53178 Test location: basement of residence (location of these lights) Test date: May 2020 Test result: no change in WSJT v10 Rx level with all basement lights on or off (0dB relative signal level both before and after lights illuminated). Fluorescent light replacement (formerly electronic ballasts) converted to direct-wire, single-end fed LED bulbs. *Hyperikon SKU: 841000631* (XYL requirement was soft-white, so 3000 degrees K was selected). 18w bulbs. In May 2020, I installed 14 bulbs (seven dual light fixtures) removing the old ballasts and fluorescent tube lights. I trimmed all unused wires to minimum physical length and removed excess wire from fixtures that had been attached to electronic ballasts. The fixtures in which these were installed are typical tin metal legacy fluorescent fixtures. Note: Hyperikon Non-Shunted Tombstones (end mounts) were replaced on only the energized end of each installed LED bulb. The opposite (non-energized) end retained the original tombstone with wires trimmed off as short as possible. There is no change in my WSJT v10 (nor WSJT-X) signal level with lights all on or off. When Rx level is set to 0dB, it holds at this level. Test Antenna is 1 x LFA-HZE-10 (2-inch homebrew round boom design) up 88 feet Above Ground Level with HA8ET 50MHz LNA fed into SSB Electronic LT6S transverter (1dB NF) then to JRC JST-245DX 28Mhz transceiver. Today I received good news that another ham (Frank W3LPL) also installed Hyperikon LED bulbs at his QTH and he also reported 6m RFI-quiet. I hope this data is useful. 73, Dave KJ9I The disclaimer: I have no financial nor any other connection with Hyperikon beyond being a satisfied customer of the above bulbs.

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Wise Legal Expenses
by Robert MacHale 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

To all who claim the legal expenses were a waste of money, consider this: >>>In January 2020, a demand letter arrived at AMSAT from an attorney representing Directors Thompson and Stoddard. Submitting a demand letter from an attorney is a really big deal. That legal line was first crossed by the new board members. Apparently, Joe Spier resigned at this point in order to avoid unfair legal entanglements - and, as far as I can tell from the few interactions I have had with Joe - he is a kind person. Plenty of evidence, plenty of facts - obviously point to AmSat not keeping up with the times. But that does not justify legal betrayal of existing board members by new members in an effort to usurp full control of the board. A more perfect response would have been to do nothing until the election cycle and hope to replace the board members who may have been dragging their feet. My point is this - nobody should be making the argument the legal expenses were not required. Hearing this from the members who delivered the demand letter feels insulting on many levels and should stop. Own it - the members who brought the demand, and their Backer(s), are ultimately responsible for the costs incurred. Actions have consequences - and side-effects. Ends do not justify means. There is a right way and a wrong way to move forward. Trust is more valuable than performance. The legal expenditures were both Wise and Required. The demand letter sent by the new board members was neither. Shifting blame and not owning the side-effects of our actions is less than optimal. This observation is not a vote in favor or against any member or candidate. For reference: https://www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2020-July/078239.html Robert MacHale . KE6BLR Ham Radio License . http://www.aprsat.com/predict . http://www.spaceCommunicator.club . Supporting Boy Scout Merit Badges in Radio, Robotics, and Space Exploration Silly Joke: What did the little mountain say to the bigger mountain? Hi Cliff!

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Special Callsign 4A15DXXE
by Russ Kinner 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Some of you may have heard a unique callsign on the FM birds 4A15DXXE. It is Grupo DXXE 15th Anniversary Special Event Station which will be operating all year. They QSL via LotW only. More info: http://www.dxxe.org/4a15dxxe I worked them last night on AO-92. Rusty WA8ZID

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AMSAT Election
by Bruce 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Thank you to all the members that nominated me for the AMSAT Board of Directors which was way more than the minimum 5 required. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Bruce Paige, KK5DO. An AMSAT Life Member, I have been on the board multiple times since I became a life member in 1993. I have also been the AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards since 2001. Please take the time to make an informed decision in this year's election. My bio and passion for ham radio can be found at the links below. I encourage you to read my candidate statement at https://www.upwardtoheo.com/biographies/bruce-paige-kk5do I've also written some more information about why I'm running for the Board at https://www.upwardtoheo.com/updates/kk5dos-passion-for-ham-radio Former AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, explains why Mark, N8MH, Paul, N8MH, and I are the best choices in this election at https://www.upwardtoheo.com/updates/former-amsat-president-barry-baines-wd4… 73, Bruce, KK5DO

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New approach, in my blog
by Robert McGwier 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

I am going to be writing about my AMSAT board candidacy in my blog. Any corrections, please send them. If you are an AMSAT member, I would appreciate your vote. https://n4hy.blogspot.com/2020/07/amsat-bod-elections-2020.html -- Bob McGwier Founder, Federated Wireless, Inc Founder and Technical Advisor, HawkEye 360, Inc Adjunct Professor Virginia Tech Former Chief Scientist: The Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology Senior Member IEEE, Facebook: N4HYBob, ARS: N4HY

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Re: [amsat-bb] Candidate W4EB Inquiry
by Michael Tondee 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Some people who do volunteer or charity work for an organization or make contributions do so anonymously and without much fanfare. Recognition is not why they do it. They are content to work behind the scenes quietly and don't feel the need to shout from the rooftops LOOK AT ME! Still others, may not do anything besides pay dues for years and then feel some sort of personal call to action and start to speak out where they see change needed and then maybe they even run for office in said organization. I can't speak for W4EB and what his motivations are. Personally though, I've been quiet about the stagnation of this organization for years and voted with my wallet by not supporting it. That's changed and now I feel the need to speak out. I will say that all the candidates running are braver than I am because I would not care to subject myself to the type of veiled attacks you're making. The fact someone chooses not to play silly games of one upmanship with you speaks volumes alright. It shows of what good character they are and I hope the voters in the coming election realize that. It's too late for me to join and vote now but now I'm wishing I had. 73, Michael, W4HIJ Message: 7 Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2020 00:14:24 -0700 From: Clint Bradford<clintbradford(a)mac.com> To: AMSAT BB<amsat-bb(a)AMSAT.Org> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Candidate WE4B Inquiry Message-ID:<CC800069-0D58-4C33-8609-2E5CE3CC236F(a)mac.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Thanks - your non-response speaks volumes. Clint Bradford K6LCS > On Jul 17, 2020, at 4:16 AM, Clint Bradford<clintbradford(a)mac.com> wrote: > > Candidate WE4B - please list for us the projects you have volunteered for > for AMSAT-NA. Specifically for AMSAT-NA - and not just general satellite > contacts. Say, for the past 10 years. > > Many thanks. > > Clint Bradford K6LCS

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Candidte WE4B Inquiry
by Clint Bradford 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Candidate WE4B - please list for us the projects you have volunteered for for AMSAT-NA. Specifically for AMSAT-NA - and not just general satellite contacts. Say, for the past 10 years. Many thanks. Clint Bradford K6LCS

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GOLF Equipment
by Clint Bradford 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

What is anticipated as a “starter” station to wotk the first GOLF satellite to be deployed? Clint Bradford K6LCS

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Re: [amsat-bb] Members Please Read
by Clint Bradford 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Why are you comparing the legal expenditures with membership fees? Di you discover that membership fees were used in any manner for those expenses? If not, then why don’t we compare that amount with, say, Apples or Watermelons? > On Jul 17, 2020, at 12:46 PM, amsat-bb-request(a)amsat.org wrote: > >> Now we learn that the expenditure is over 16k. That is 363 memberships, if this retired engineer's math is correct.

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