I sure hope you - the moderator of my posts here - allow this little rebuttal to the post from “Pablo” that you allowed earlier today. My bottom line remains: What can we all do to make AMSAT-NA survive.

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Well - good evening to you, too, Pablo.

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When's the last time you attended a symposium? Ummm, never?

I just love it when truly ignorant statements are made - as if the writer knew anything about what they are talking about.

I attended an AMSAT Symposium when it was in San Jose, CA. I also accumulated one of the finest assemblage of raffle prizes AMSAT-NA has ever seen when I was prize coordinator for their symposium a couple years ago. Got a plaque signed by the AMSAT prez for that effort.

I know exactly what a cruise costs. I know precisely what it costs to put on events. I orchestrated a city-wide event for Riverside, CA (population 300K) that had about 7,000 attendees. From parking to logistics to communications to placing a repeater atop a local hill to working with each and every vendor - I know what it takes.

I also worked with the publicity director for a large regional newspaper. I have also been involved with several 501(c)(3) organizations with their fundraising and grant writing projects.

I also orchestrated an ARISS contact for my City of Jurupa Valley - earning FRONT PAGE WITH COLOR PHOTOS coverage in California’s sixth-largest daily newspaper. Along with NPR interviews, coverage by other video outlets, video highlighted on the Bob Heil / Gordon West Ham Nation mediacast - I did it all for our students.

So you have no idea who I am or what I have done. Yet you spout your venom ...

A group in financial problems holding an annual event on a cruise. If you do not see how horrible that looks - from a public relations and marketing aspect - then you are either naive or just plain ignorant.

I acknowledged on the AMSAT-BB list that you made good points. You are welcome.

How I am “self-promoting” myself - actually “promoting working the birds” has proven effective. I am approached monthly by conventions, groups, municipalities, clubs - to find out more about working the FM birds. In that aspect - “spending the word” - I am tremendously successful.

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… Barbed wire is not an effective material for constructing antennas …

Tell that to the Boy Scouts who used that barbed wire antenna to speak to an astronaut who was aboard the ISS at the time.

YOU are just one of a handful that, apparently, just don’t get it. Working a couple of the FM birds is not something one needs to put a lot of money in to. Is using barbed wire the same as spending $500+ and using an M2 2MCP28? Nope. DOES IT WORK FOR THIS? ABSOLUTELY.

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… you act like it should work for everyone in every situation …

Bovine excrement. Can one make an effective 2M/440 antenna and work a bird or three? Absolutely.

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… I'm thankful this season that you are not a professional educator in any school system …

Sorry to disappoint you - but I still volunteer for NASA and am earned my registered ARRL instructor position.

Clint Bradford K6LCS

PS By the way, I don’t see any posts from you suggesting tactics to “save” AMSAT-NA from its current financial problems. At least a few of us are … But not you …