Bill and I had a long talk in San Francisco and I didn't even have to twist his arm to work on the high microwave band gear. Bill is a professional microwave designer. I brushed aside our differences and added another valuable volunteer to our cadre. This is my approach to engineering and it always will be. We do not need "yes-persons", we need competent people unafraid to ask questions and take tough answers in return and at times they can be very tough. We recently told a 30 year AMSAT veteran that his years of work was mothballed. It was done in a direct manner based on analysis and technical argument but that was tough indeed. AMSAT-NA engineering is not for the faint of heart, done as it is in a distributed manner, constantly having to shift to fit targets of opportunity. All who can operate in a peer reviewed environment and have something to contribute are invited to do so. Agreement with the "boss" (what a joke) is not required. I can point to a dozen instances where I have been corrected by team members in the past year. It is great and we are lucky to have one of the best teams we have ever had.

For any of the rest of you who want to work on Eagle, P3E, support the organization, etc. AMSAT-NA/AMSAT-DL , are equal opportunity exploiters. I don't care if we have ever had a disagreement. If you can help, join. But don't join unless you can deliver on your desire to help. If you are not up to doing technical/design/etc because of lack of time, or it is just not your thing, figure out another way to help. We need $33,000 to close the year on the Eagle fund raising. That does not necessarily mean write a check, it can mean passing a hat at a local club meeting. Be creative and get off your couch or computer chair and help us help you. I think AMSAT-NA is about 6 weeks from announcing a major new facility. In that facility we are intending on doing great good for the AMSAT's and others. In order to set this up to help Eagle, some cubesats (part of the potential agreement), possibly do more work for AMSAT-DL and P3E than we are currently doing, etc. We need your support. Please help us close that gap.

Criticism is not wrong. It is never wrong to ask tough questions. Openness is the answer to doing things better. Ad hominem attacks on volunteers is unacceptable and I will fight every single instance with a response. We are asking for your support. Se we expect you to ask questions and have them answered. We are in a very difficult and frustrating period. The entire launch industry changed underneath us DURING the AO-40 campaign. We are in a very different world and we are beginning to learn our way around in it. Our path will not be easy, it will be even more difficult than it was before. But our choices are walk this path or give up. It is not sufficient any longer for you, gentle reader, to say "You guys need to do this or that". There is no "You guys". WE need to act. Even thought it seems like a large mountain, it can be ascended by putting one patient foot in front of the other. I simply refuse to give up and feel hopeless since I am absolutely certain it is not hopeless. We can get tired and we might have to alter our path to fit, but there is a path. It might take a month, a year, or longer to figure out our way through this time. If we cross the chasm in the way the organization currently envisions, we could enter a truly golden age. There are a million ruts in the path or we would say more to help you understand we are not on our chairs doing nothing. But to do so at this stage could jeopardize the path. If we get down this path without falling into a rut, I am beyond excited for our long term future.

Bob N4HY

Bill Ress wrote:

Eric,

Really nice meeting you at the Symposium along with all the other great folks in attendance.

After attending the Symposium, like you, I too came away with the strong feeling that the Eagle team will listen to legitimate concerns and that they presented and approved an Eagle satellite system that I now can "fully" support.

This -bb will likely recognize me as one of several who has been vocal about trying to counter the strong negative feelings held my some members of Eagle team about our L and S band satellite frequency allocations.

While I have said that I agree with the future potential for problems in these bands, I felt there we can finds ways to mitigate the impacts - and that feeling hasn't changed. In fact, at the conference, there were presentations by IARU and ARRL representatives that said if we don't occupy and utilize our allocations, both amateur and amateur satellite on VHF to microwave, we will "surely" lose them.

Well - - - - I am very pleased to note, if you haven't seen the release yet, that Eagle will be including a linear L band up and S band down mode.

I'd like to think that the comments and debate held here on the -bb might have had some influence on this decision and would like to thank the many for participating in the discourse - both pro and con.

Some features of the satellite, namely the ACP (Advanced Communication Package), which are the digital modes, will likely cause some gas pains for many who might not yet understand or appreciate the reasoning for them (I WAS ONE). The concern for the added "potential" for the complexity and reliability of this new mode was raised from the floor during the General Meeting. I can tell you the team convinced me through their responses that while the satellite business is by its nature very risky, they are fully aware of that fact and will be designing and testing to reduce the potential for "failure."

We will "all" have the opportunity to review and critique the designs as they evolve through Eaglepedia - - unlike any other prior satellite building project. I'm also convinced that the Eagle team will respect and give consideration to all of us who wish to act as "peer reviewers" and present constructive opinions and suggestions.

So lets get on with the business of building Eagle and getting it launched.

Oh yah - - - as Eric points out, VOTE yes - if you can accept this new proposed Eagle satellite - by sending in any donations you can live with.

Regards...Bill - N6GHz

-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org]On Behalf Of Eric H. Christensen Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 9:50 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Eagle's New Design

I have to say that I have been very critical of the Eagle development team with their plans for the bird. At the time I did not agree with their recommendations nor did I agree with their decisions. I WAS WRONG.

While I am quite relieved with the new plan for Eagle, which includes a linear transponder for V/U and L/S along with the new digital "Advanced Communications Payload", there is no excuse for my previous words. Contrary to popular belief, the satellite builders and the Eagle team are not out to just build whatever they want but rather to build what will work. There is no way that they would spend the many hours it takes to build all the pieces and parts it takes to make a satellite to send up something that no one will use or that won't work.

I don't know if EaglePedia has been updated with the latest and greatest information but I was very impressed with Bob McGwier's presentation on the latest configuration of Eagle. If you weren't able to attend the annual symposium then please keep an eye out on the website (amsat.org) for the latest and greatest information on the project. Take a look at the new information and then make sure you let everyone know that you support Eagle by going to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/eagle/#donating and donating. It is very important that we all pitch in and help fund this project so that construction can move forward. From my understanding, we raised quite a bit of money at the symposium but we need more. Help the amateur satellite community and join the President's Club and/or donate directly to the Eagle project. It is the future of our community.

73s, Eric KF4OTN kf4otn@amsat.org http://www.ericsatcom.net