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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Board of directors meetings (Clint Bradford)
2. Re: Board of directors meetings (Bruce)
3. Re: Board of directors meetings (Michelle Thompson)
4. Re: Board of directors meetings (Jerry Buxton)
5. ANS-187 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins (Mark Johns, K0JM)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2020 05:50:11 -0700
From: Clint Bradford <clintbradford@???.???>
To: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Board of directors meetings
Message-ID: <818CFE28-2357-4B03-B794-95BD9EA26F2D@???.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Last time I read their bylaws, ?monthly? meetings were not required.
Clint Bradford K6LCS
>
> Can someone please explain why there are no monthly board meeting being
> held.??
>
> Rick
> WA9JBQ
>
> --
> Rick Wyrwas
>
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2020 08:54:17 -0500
From: Bruce <kk5do@????.???>
To: Clint Bradford <clintbradford@???.???>, AMSAT BB
<amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Board of directors meetings
Message-ID: <94abb1b4-3e2a-565e-29c1-3721a84568c4@????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
By laws only state once a year as soon after the election as possible.
Section 5:? The Board shall meet in person as soon as practicable after
the Secretary?s announcement of election results for the purpose of
electing Officers and for such other business as may properly come
before the Board. Additional meetings of the Board may be held at its
discretion. The Board may also establish rules providing for telephone
or telegraphic consultations in addition to the meetings required under
these Bylaws, but no such consultation may result in official actions of
the Board unless all Directors have been given timely and adequate
notice of such events and afforded reasonable opportunity to
participate, and unless the Secretary has kept the minutes of such
consultation. At any meeting or consultation of the Board, a simple
majority of Directors shall constitute a quorum.
On 7/5/2020 7:50 AM, Clint Bradford via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> Last time I read their bylaws, ?monthly? meetings were not required.
>
> Clint Bradford K6LCS
>
>
>
>> Can someone please explain why there are no monthly board meeting being
>> held.??
>>
>> Rick
>> WA9JBQ
>>
>> --
>> Rick Wyrwas
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB@?????.???. 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
--
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
AMSAT Director Contests and Awards
AMSAT Board Member 2016-2020
ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE
Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT*
Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com
Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes
Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News
http://www.arrl.org
AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2020 08:56:41 -0700
From: Michelle Thompson <mountain.michelle@?????.???>
To: Bruce Paige <kk5do@????.???>
Cc: Clint Bradford <clintbradford@???.???>, AMSAT BB
<amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Board of directors meetings
Message-ID:
<CACvjz2UPkbhCCA6JK_133NW9Ub=7249FHqAk5+zcdUL1nU=YpQ@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
AMSAT traditionally has held two leadership meetings a month. One with the
board, and one with board and senior officers.
A large and active organization like AMSAT really does need leadership to
meet regularly so it can stay informed and make decisions. Letting officers
simply run the entire show, expecting to get rubber stamped once a year by
a sleepy apathetic board, is a recipe for disaster for *any* corporation.
At the Arlington Symposium, which was the first board meeting that Patrick
Stoddard and I attended, Joe Spier, Mark Hammond, and Jerry Buxton claimed
that regular board meetings were "unproductive". Suddenly, the meetings
simply couldn't happen. Suddenly, they're meaningless and a waste of time.
Hm.
Tom Clark said this was unusual, unwise, and unwarranted. He said he had no
idea why Joe Spier would do this.
Patrick and I objected to the sudden change from regular meetings to
"meetings whenever the President decides". Patrick and I are minority
members of the board. We were overruled.
By the 2019 Symposium Board Meeting, we'd already been denied access to
corporate documents and communications, and we'd been (falsely) told that
we had to personally sign a bunch of NDAs in order to get access. We'd
gotten some name-calling and some runaround.
These experiences were covered in detail in reports to members starting
here:
https://w5nyv.blogspot.com/2019/09/report-to-members-1-amsat-na-board-of.html
https://w5nyv.blogspot.com/2019/10/report-to-members-2-amsat-na-board-of.html
https://w5nyv.blogspot.com/2019/10/report-to-members-3-amsat-na-board-of.html
But, I was very optimistic that we would actually have monthly meetings.
They seriously couldn't literally mean "none".
We really needed to learn how to work together, since what Patrick and I
campaigned on was very different than the way AMSAT had been run.
Transparency, change of direction in technology, and open source.
But, Joe Spier refused to call any board meetings after 2019 Symposium.
There was an emergency board meeting to replace him when he resigned in
late January 2019. No other business was entertained. It had been nearly
four months since the annual board meeting.
Clayton Coleman didn't restore the regular schedule when he took over.
Clayton called the first real board meeting of his term in March. I was
able to get a bylaws committee motion approved and I was able to get AMSAT
to formally support the ARISS AREx project (AREx had requested a letter). I
was able to restart the ITAR/EAR policy work with FD Associates. Patrick
was able to get Clayton to promise to fire Hurwit and Associates. This was
a lot of progress! This is what we promised members to do our best to do.
We looked forward to the next real board meeting where we could address
ongoing disagreements over the financial outlook and how to reduce
expenses. Clayton promised weekly reports, and things seemed to be unstuck.
But, no other meetings have been scheduled since then. No reports have been
received from Clayton. Very few reports from any officers have been
received. And the very serious issue of large unauthorized spending slowly
emerged.
Patrick and I called for board meetings to address the unauthorized
spending. We need one more board member to call a meeting. Or, the
President calls the meeting. We wanted the unauthorized spending issues
resolved internally. No one joined the call for this meeting.
A report about that is here:
https://w5nyv.blogspot.com/2020/07/report-to-members-8-amsat-na-board-of.html
There was one 15 minute emergency meeting called to rubber stamp a yes vote
on applying for a COVID-19 loan. I said we shouldn't touch the money. We
were in no danger of going bankrupt like so many other businesses
(restaurants, service industries). The loan was approved by the board 5-2
and it was approved.
When ARISS USA announced, Patrick and I called for a meeting in order to
find out what happened, and get the lessons learned. Clayton said there was
no discussion before the announcement. It sounded like a surprise. Others
have said the split was talked about. Doesn't matter. Either way, it seems
like the sudden departure of a project that has been a huge part of AMSAT
for 24 years deserves more than a short and understandably exasperated note
from the President.
So far, no meeting. No report. No discussion.
So, is AMSAT required to have regular meetings? No. It's not uncommon for
organizations to only require one meeting a year.
Should AMSAT have regular meetings, like it's always had? Damn straight it
should!
Bruce Paige has filed no motions this year except to move to close the few
meetings we have had.
He complains about "administrative tasks" on the board mailing list. You
have one job, Bruce. You are part of the administration.
He is perfectly ok with the bare minimum one board meeting a year, at
Symposium.
He had shown zero remorse in being part of the unauthorized spending. If a
bill comes in, the organization just pays it. What's the big deal?
Please do not return him to the board. He isn't helping with oversight or
expense reduction. I'm sure he's a lovely person and does well elsewhere.
Just not on the board.
Regular meetings for AMSAT leadership are a no-brainer. The incumbents
blocked regular meetings starting at 2019 Symposium, and that continues to
the present day.
If you want a functional board that provides oversight, achievable expense
reduction, transparency, and can produce real progress on regulatory
compliance and open source policies, please vote for Bob McGwier, Howie
DeFelice, and Jeff Johns.
-Michelle W5NYV
On Sun, Jul 5, 2020 at 6:57 AM Bruce via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
wrote:
> By laws only state once a year as soon after the election as possible.
>
> Section 5: The Board shall meet in person as soon as practicable after
> the Secretary?s announcement of election results for the purpose of
> electing Officers and for such other business as may properly come
> before the Board. Additional meetings of the Board may be held at its
> discretion. The Board may also establish rules providing for telephone
> or telegraphic consultations in addition to the meetings required under
> these Bylaws, but no such consultation may result in official actions of
> the Board unless all Directors have been given timely and adequate
> notice of such events and afforded reasonable opportunity to
> participate, and unless the Secretary has kept the minutes of such
> consultation. At any meeting or consultation of the Board, a simple
> majority of Directors shall constitute a quorum.
>
> On 7/5/2020 7:50 AM, Clint Bradford via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> > Last time I read their bylaws, ?monthly? meetings were not required.
> >
> > Clint Bradford K6LCS
> >
> >
> >
> >> Can someone please explain why there are no monthly board meeting being
> >> held.??
> >>
> >> Rick
> >> WA9JBQ
> >>
> >> --
> >> Rick Wyrwas
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Sent via AMSAT-BB@?????.???. 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
>
>
> --
>
> Bruce Paige, KK5DO
>
> AMSAT Director Contests and Awards
> AMSAT Board Member 2016-2020
>
> ARRL Awards Field Checker (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE
>
> Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0100z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT*
> Also live streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com
> Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes
>
> Latest satellite news on the ARRL Audio News
> http://www.arrl.org
>
> AMSAT on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/amsat
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB@?????.???. 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
>
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2020 14:04:28 -0500
From: Jerry Buxton <n0jy@?????.???>
To: amsat-bb@?????.???
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Board of directors meetings
Message-ID: <3549c331-355a-4bc9-3c48-9776d77a32d5@?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
On 7/5/2020 07:50, Clint Bradford via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> Last time I read their bylaws, ?monthly? meetings were not required.
>
> Clint Bradford K6LCS
>
>
>
>> Can someone please explain why there are no monthly board meeting being
>> held.??
>>
>> Rick
>> WA9JBQ
>>
>>
I see that, as is the norm today whenever there is an election, some of
the "facts" of the issue presented in the form of what certain
individuals said are grossly out of context.
Over a year ago, March or April 2019 to the best of my recollection, I
put forth the idea during the monthly telephone gathering of Directors
as well as in an email to the Board of Directors.? At that time and for
some time these monthly "strategic planning" meetings had become very
much a report by the President on current activities of themselves and
the Officers as to their current and wholly expected/normal activities.?
These meetings began to run an hour or more with discussion of minutiae
in the normal execution of those duties which, in my opinion, had
nothing to do with Board of Directors level strategic planning for the
Corporation.? Officers were invited and while not required to attend,
often participated in the discussions.? Were it in fact a meeting with a
Board level strategic planning item, that strategic discussion was in my
opinion, dragged out and dragged down by these reports which would limit
the strategic discussions often due to time and as well, due to
interjection by officers where their input should and could have been
requested in a more formal way as an agenda item for further discussion
of whatever strategic ideas the Board discussed during the Board of
Directors Strategic Planning meeting.
The same discussions and minutiae of the Officers expected/normal
activities were then discussed again two weeks later on the Officers
"tactical planning"? meetings, by the officers, with the Directors being
invited and while not required to attend, often were more or less
expected to be there to hear the same thing they heard two weeks prior.?
In fact this was a norm with the AMSAT leadership for some time and even
prior to my becoming an Officer and later, Director.?
There was a time that these things worked as such and the
discussions/agenda were separate and confined to the purpose and
attendees (Board or Officers as designated) however that became this
homogeneous wash-rinse-repeat cycle that led to my bringing up the
thought, not a motion or otherwise general claim of lack of
productivity, that we consider having Board of Directors Strategic
Planning meetings only as/when corporate strategic planning discussions
were of the urgency or maturity to require the Board of Directors to
gather beyond discussions we had been having via email, in order to
further the strategy and vote on it.? In the meantime, the need for
input from Officers in order to exercise proper oversight and management
of the execution of the Corporation's business could easily be done via
email, either by a report to the Board from the President (preferably)
containing the same information as was presented at the "strategic
planning" meeting without the need to be on the phone for over an hour
or by individual Senior Officers emailing their monthly report to the
Board of Directors with that information.? It should be noted and it was
an important part of my pitch to the Board that the activities being
reported and in fact the state of the activities generally did and to an
extent still often do not change at a pace that required monthly, much
less bi-weekly, meetings and repetitions of the reports/activities.?
That fact too would even make the email reports rather simple and not a
burden to create or read, as they are often a repeat of status quo
except during implementation, completion, or anomalies in any of the
specific activities of the Officers.
At that time, the Board did not respond with any desire to further the
suggestion.? And so we carried on "as usual".
Since my suggestion and the choice not to pursue it at the time were not
documented further than the Board of Directors mailing list where I
believe I posted it in addition to the mention on the call, I am sure
that the subject came as a surprise to all but the Directors involved in
those emails/discussion when I brought it up again at the annual Board
of Directors meeting in Arlington.? At that time I simply re-stated a
summary of what I had said six (or so) months prior to the annual
meeting when we briefly discussed the item.?
It was in that discussion as well as when I presented my thought to the
other Directors in 2019 that I said, in my opinion, that the meetings
were unproductive IN TERMS OF THE INTENTION THAT THEY BE ABOUT STRATEGIC
PLANNING FOR THE CORPORATION, BECAUSE THERE WERE NO SUCH STRATEGY
DISCUSSIONS HAPPENING ON A MONTHLY BASIS AND THE REPORTS ON OFFICER
ACTIVITY COULD BE HANDLED OTHERWISE. Emphasis added to bring back the
context that was conveniently missing from other statements of this case.?
The outcome at the annual meeting was in agreement with looking at the
frequency and necessity of online/telephonic Board of Director meetings
rather than the regularly scheduled (and in my opinion) essentially
group gathering of everybody who showed up to rehash current
activities.? To the best of my recollection, it was never said at the
annual meeting that Board of Director Strategic Planning meetings could
not or should not happen.? Nor, to the best of my recollection, was it
said in that discussion of my point about the meetings that they were
meaningless or a waste of time beyond the implication of such in the
specific sense of the meeting purpose because of the lack of strategy to
discuss.
Since then, the Directors have chosen to go with the guidance that
meetings called by the mechanism in our bylaws is what determines the
frequency of the Board of Directors online/telephonic meetings.? The
President is charged with determining the need and frequency of Senior
Officer meetings and that has always been the case as far back as my
tenure as an Officer, and I do not take any exception to that as a
Director nor do I feel compelled to push the President to have such
meetings either as a Director or an Officer.? I stand by my thoughts of
a year ago and at the annual meeting as far as email reports to the
Board of Directors.
I hope this clears things up in regard to the history of the idea for
the frequency and purpose of Board of Directors gatherings and the
perception that they are or should be held monthly.? It is solely up to
the President and the Board of Directors to determine that as I am sure
was done in the past and is being done now.???
On another note, I also expressed strong support for the AREx program
during the March meeting.? It's funny how what I say or do is
conveniently added, altered, or omitted when it serves the personal
interest of individuals.? Part of being a "public figure" I guess.
And so it goes...
Jerry Buxton, N?JY
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 4 Jul 2020 19:00:00 -0500
From: "Mark Johns, K0JM" <k0jm.mark@?????.???>
To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: [amsat-bb] ANS-187 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
Message-ID:
<CADDbS5CmQturyh52diaqp6GjO0y-0xJx3oeJbcUhxQL1R_=jTw@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-187
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@?????.???
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:
* Successful Launch of BY70-2 With FM-to-Codec2 Transponder
* AMSAT Responds to Allegations of Unauthorized Legal Expenses
* New Satellite Distance Records Set
* VUCC Awards-Endorsements for July 2020
* Virginia Air and Space Center Discontinues KE4ZXW Demo Station
* AMSAT 2020 Board of Directors Election Upcoming
* CAS-6 Becomes TO-108, Added to AMSAT TLE Distribution
* San Diego Microwave Group Discusses ARISS Possibilities
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-187.01
ANS-187 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 187.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE 2020 July 05
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-187.01
Successful Launch of BY70-2 With FM-to-Codec2 Transponder
Wei Mingchaun, BG2BHC, reports on Twitter that BY70-2 was launched on
July 3 at 03:10z from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on a CZ-4B launch
vehicle. BY70-2 will serve as a replacement for BY70-1, a 2U CubeSat
which launched on December 26, 2016. Due to a booster failure, BY70-1
was placed in an elliptical orbit with a low perigee and the satel-
lite's orbit decayed in February 2017.
Unlike BY70-1, which carried an FM transponder, BY70-2 carries an
FM-to-Codec2 transponder similar to the ones on board LO-90 and
Taurus-1. More information about working this type of transponder can
be found in an article entitled "Digital Voice on Amateur Satellites:
Experiences with LilacSat-OSCAR 90" by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, in the
January/February 2019 issue of The AMSAT Journal. The article can also
be found on the AMSAT website at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-166-BY70-2.
BY70-2 is in a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of approximately
500 km. As a replacement, the satellite is sharing BY70-1's IARU coord-
ination and ITU API notification. The uplink frequency is 145.920 MHz
and the downlink frequency is 436.200 MHz.
[ANS thanks Wei Mingchaun, BG2BHC, for the above information]
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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 Responds to Allegations of Unauthorized Legal Expenses
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) has been made aware of
public comments alleging financial mismanagement in the form of
?unauthorized? legal expenditures. AMSAT takes these allegations very
seriously and in full disclosure, has investigated these claims for
many months.
AMSAT?s corporate records give a full accounting of all expenditures
and are provided to its Directors upon request, in compliance with our
governing documents and law of the District of Columbia (D.C.) Our
office remains closed due to COVID-19, where those documents reside.
Furthermore, AMSAT complies with IRS rules for 501(c)(3) disclosure of
public financial documents, such as the Form 990 available on the
AMSAT website. Financial review and accounting services from a third-
party firm of Certified Public Accountants are utilized by the
corporation to ensure governance to best practice and law.
The Corporation vehemently denies false statements alleging
?unauthorized? expenditures.
On behalf of AMSAT,
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG
President
[ANS thanks Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, AMSAT President, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
New Satellite Distance Records Set
Two new distance records have been established in the past week! New
records are added regularly to the AMSAT Satellite Distance Records
page: https://amsat.org/satellite-dist
J?r?me LeCuyer, F4DXV, and Vladimir Vassiljev, R9LR, have claimed the
distance record on TO-108 (CAS-6) with a 4,458 km QSO on 28-Jun-2020
at 10:11 UTC between JN04ft91dd in France and MO27qf72nd in Russia.
Congratulations to J?r?me and Vladimir!
Also, congratulations to Alain Combelles, TR8CA, and Philippe Chateau,
EA4NF, for a new AMSAT distance record on the CAS-4A Satellite on
27-Jun-2020 at 13:30 UTC. The contact was completed between IN80fl in
Spain and JJ40ql in Gabon.
These are the latest in a series of new records set over the past few
months, including:
EO-88 ? 4,086 km. F4DXV in JN04iu <> VO1FOG in GN37in.
02-Apr-2020 at 23:20 UTC.
PO-101 (FM) ? 5,128 km. EA4SG in IN80cp77em<> R9LR in MO27qf72nd.
06-May-2020 at 23:03 UTC.
RS-44 ? 8,357 km. W5CBF in EM30jf35qi <> DL4EA in JN48ko94cw.
26-May-2020
AO-92 (L/V) ? 4,202 km. OA4/XQ3SA in FH17lv <> XE1MEX in EK08mu.
03-Jun-2020 at 04:07 UTC.
AO-27 ? 5,682 km. E21EJC in OK03fp <> R9LR in MO27qf.
09-Jun-2020 at 23:45 UTC
XW-2B ? 4,978 km. KE9AJ in DM79iq47 <> FG8OJ in FK96ig17.
20-Jun-2020 at 11:14 UTC.
Congratulations to all of these operators for their patience and their
operating skill.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice-President, 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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
VUCC Awards-Endorsements for July 2020
Here are the endorsements and new VUCC Satellite Awards issued by the
ARRL for the period June 1, 2020 through July 1, 2020.
Congratulations to all those who made the list this month!
CALL June July
N0JE 637 652
WD9EWK (DM43) 600 612
NS3L 551 575
KI7UNJ 510 527
AD0HJ 425 450
KE8FZT 400 428
AA4QE 305 408
K5IX 375 402
ND0C 346 377
KC9UQR 275 301
WA9JBQ 275 300
N4YHC 250 270
W4DTA 261 263
KA9P 212 259
KS1G 170 233
KE0WPA 200 229
VU2LBW 114 200
N3CAL 100 160
K7TEJ 102 126
N7ZO New 116
AC9O New 108
DJ3GZ New 108
WD9EWK (DM45) 100 106
K3HPA New 102
WA9WUD New 102
KI5HHK New 101
N8URE New 101
KD9NGV New 100
KP4RV New 100
W8LR New 100
If you find errors or omissions. please contact me off-list at W5RKN
[at] W5RKN.com and I'll revise the announcement. This list was develop-
ed by comparing the ARRL .pdf listings for the two months. It's a vis-
ual comparison so omissions are possible. Apologies if your call was
not mentioned. Thanks to all those who are roving to grids that are
rarely on the birds. They are doing most of the work!
[ANS thanks Ron Parsons, W5RKN, for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Virginia Air and Space Center Discontinues KE4ZXW Demo Station
The Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton,Virginia has ended its
twenty-five year relationship with the KE4ZXW Amateur Radio Demonstra-
tion Station. Robert Griesmer, Executive Director and CEO of the Vir-
ginia Air and Space Center has directed that the KE4ZXW Amateur Radio
Demonstration Station located at the Virginia Air and Space Center
(VASC) be disassembled and removed from the Center by June 30.
In his June 5,2020, update Mr. Griesmer advised the following to the
KE4ZXW group : ?I am writing to you to inform you that, after careful
consideration, we have decided to discontinue the Ham Radio Station Ex-
hibit effective July 1st upon the re-opening of the Center.? Randy
Grigg, WB4KZI, president of the Amateur Radio group, thanked the volun-
teers who have supported and operated the station for the last 25 years.
The station has spent the last quarter of a century demonstrating the
use of Amateur Radio, its applications as a STEM Activity, communica-
tions skills and communications through amateur satellites to school
groups. The station also made contacts to the International Space Sta-
tion.
The KE4ZXW Amateur Radio station's equipment has found a new home with
K4KDJ, the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association in Blacksburg, Va.
[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AMSAT 2020 Board of Directors Election Upcoming
The nomination period for this year's AMSAT Board of Directors
election ended June 15. The following candidates have been found to
have their membership in good standing and their nomination
credentials in order:
Howard DeFelice, AB2S
Mark Hammond, N8MH
Jeff Johns, WE4B
Robert McGwier, N4HY
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
This year, AMSAT will be electing three voting members of the Board
of Directors. These will go to the three candidates receiving the
highest number of votes. In addition, there will be two alternates
chosen, based on the next highest number of votes received.
Further details regarding the mechanics of the election will appear in
ANS in the near future. Ballots will be mailed to the AMSAT membership
by July 15th based on a membership list that will be generated as early
as July 1. Members are encouraged to use the AMSAT Membership
Portal at launch.amsat.org to verify that their membership is in good
standing and their mailing address is correct.
[ANS thanks Brennan Price, N4QX, AMSAT Secretary, for the above
information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CAS-6 Becomes TO-108, Confusion Ensues
At the request of CAMSAT and the CAS-6 team, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA,
AMSAT VP Operations & OSCAR Number Administrator announced last week
that CAS-6 (TQ-1) would receive the official designation of TQ-OSCAR
108 (TO-108).
Since that designation, TO-108 was added to the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satel-
lite Status Page at https://www.amsat.org/status/ However, an entry
for CAS-6 also remains on that page. Further, AMSAT TLE distributions
continue to list the satellite as CAS-6 (NORAD Cat ID 44881).
Operators should be aware that the designations CAS-6 and TO-108 both
refer to the same satellite, and should be on the lookout for changes
in the naming on websites and in TLE distribution sets. It many take a
week or two before consistent naming filters through all systems.
Frequencies for the intended radio amatuer mission are:
? CW Telemetry Beacon: 145.910 MHz
? AX.25 4.8kbps GMSK Telemetry: 145.890 MHz
? U/V Linear Transponder Downlink: 145.925 MHz, 20 kHz bandwidth
? U/V Linear Transponder Uplink: 435.280 MHz, Inverted
Operator reports indicate that the transponder is active only for brief
intervals of about 2 seconds, spaced approximately 5 seconds apart. With
patience, and quick transmissions, QSOs have been completed.
[ANS thanks Mark Johns, K0JM, for the above information]
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Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
San Diego Microwave Group Discusses ARISS Possibilities
Participants in the San Diego Microwave Group's (SDMG) 29 June 2020
Zoom meetup discussed the possibility of the AREx broadband digital
microwave design being potentially deployed on the International Space
Station (ISS).
Since the project has focused heavily on high earth orbit, geostation-
ary orbit, and the lunar opportunity with Gateway, the challenges of
low earth orbit (ISS) now need to be addressed. This will be an ongoing
process. Here's what participants recommended at SDMG:
Since there are LEO constellations up to and including Ka band, the
tracking and doppler have been done. It's just a question of learning
the requirements, design patterns, limitations, and techniques.
Since the project already incorporates the near-space communications
recommendations from Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems
(CCSDS), little has to be done in that regard.
HamTV on ISS is at 2.4 GHz, which while lower than the projected 5 GHz
and 10 GHz, has all the other aspects of broadband digital. There is
plenty to be learned from those experiments, and meetings are being
set up to begin to collaborate with the principals of HamTV on deeply
appreciated advice & next steps.
There was strong advice to eliminate antenna pointing. Use of an anten-
na system in space and on the ground that does not require tracking
would dramatically increase adoption. With Adaptive Coding and Modula-
tion, all sorts of systems can be accommodated. However, a ground sta-
tion that does track can use a directional antenna with a lot more
gain, and get a much higher bitrate, while a station with a 120 degree
field of view would get a lower bitrate, but would not have to track
at LEO. This needs thorough link budgeting.
There are several link budgets in Jupyter Notebook in progress at
https://github.com/phase4space/payload-dmt Others interested in help-
ing here are most welcome.
Testing for human rated spacecraft incurs a substantial increase in
engineering, paperwork, and time requirements. Putting the equipment
outside instead of inside does not eliminate the testing requirements.
This is going to require advice/direction from ARISS.
Space heritage of this type, where equipment is an external payload
only requiring power, makes hosted payload options easier to negotiate.
There are 5-6 GEO missions going up in the next 3 years that could be
targeted.
Doppler is a factor here, and SDMG participants received strong recom-
mendations about talking with particular ARISS team members with exper-
ience. SDMG will be learning from and incorporating their advice in the
very near future.
[ANS thanks Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, Member of the AMSAT Board of
Directors, for the above report]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARISS NEWS
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between
amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with
astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The
downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
Scheduled contacts and events:
Don Bosco Haacht Technisch en Beroepsonderwijs, Haacht, Belgium,
Multi-point telebridge via AB1OC. (A multi-point telebridge contact
means that each student will be on the telebridge from their own
home.) The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS, and the
scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR. The contact is go for
Friday, July 10 at 10:49:51 UTC (27 degrees maximum elevation).
ARISS is very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having on schools
and the public in general. As such, we may have last minute cancella-
tions or postponements of school contacts.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team men-
tors for the above information]
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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/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Upcoming Satellite Operations
Quick Hits:
Email from @????? K2B (VA, me) and K2F (MD) are both on sats for the
13 Colonies event through Tuesday evening. K2F told me K2A (NY) is
also on. He will also post schedules to twitter!!!
DN08, 7/4 & 7/5,
@??????? John is heading out roving. Yippeeeeee!!!!
DN18 / DN28, 7/11:
KI7UXT and KC7JPC
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.
FM13 & FM03, 7/12 & 7/13,
WZ4M is heading out Holiday Style <- Updated Grids
EN20/30 Line, July 28-31,
@???? : Sean is moving quickly towards his VUCC/R award by heading out
again for two more grids. Watch his Twitter for details.
Major Roves:
@?????? is heading out on 7/3 ? 7/9 through Texas, Colorado and Kansas.
FMs for sure and maybe linears. The tentative schedule is as follows:
7/3 (evening) ? 7/4: DM95 7/5: DM86/96 gridline and possibly DM85/95
line as well 7/6: DM87/88 or DM97/98 gridline based on family schedule
7/6-7/9: DM87 Details will be posted on Twitter @???????
@???? is heading out into the Murder Hornet territory:
EM43/44 on 7/3 Starting at 15:05
EM53/54 on 7/4 Starting at 14:54
EM52 on 7/5 Starting at 16:37
Click here for pass scheduled and frequencies
@????? is heading out again!!! Starting July 13th
DN63 (Some Day passes)
DN64 fir a few days of fly fishing
then DN55 ? DN68, and getting home on July 31st?.
** Postponed ** DL88: Ron (@?????? and Doug (@????? are making another
run at the elusive DL88 in Big Bend National Park, TX. As we know they
tried this grid back in March, and due to the mud couldn?t get to the
grid, so never ones to quit, off they go again. Today the tentative
date is Monday July 6th, 2020. They will be using the K5Z call sign.
More information is available at the K5Z QRZ Page.
Please submit any additions or corrections to Ke0pbr (at) gmail.com
[ANS thanks Paul Overnfor, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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 meet-
ings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
Due to COVID-19, many hamfest and events around the United States have
been cancelled or postponed. While we make every effort to ensure the
information contained below is correct, there may be some that we
missed. We wish all of you safekeeping and hope to be at a hamfest
near you soon.
Current schedule:
* Shelby NC Hamfest (Contact N4HF for info or if you want to help.)
Phil Jenkins, N4HF, is planning to present a forum ? and set-up/man
an info table ? at the Shelby NC Hamfest Friday/Saturday Sept 4 & 5.
(the ?fest runs Sept 4-6, but he?ll probably only be there Friday
and Saturday). Demos possible if additional volunteers step up.
A copy of the AMSAT hamfest brochure is available for download from:
https://bit.ly/2ygVFmV This color brochure is designed to be printed
double-sided and folded into a tri-fold handout.
To include your upcoming AMSAT presentation and/or demonstration,
please send an email to ambassadors (at) amsat (dot) org.
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT VP-User Services for the
above information]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ There has been further work on trying FT8 for EME, this time on 1296.
It turns out that, contrary to the original news item, the Doppler
spread on the lower bands is not an issue, since the energy distribu-
tion of the EME signal is mainly concentrated in a much narrower
spectrum than the maximum total Doppler spread. This means that it
can work probably with little degradation on bands up to and includ-
ing 1296, under most circumstances. For a writeup of this work please
see http://bobatkins.com/radio/FT8_EME_1296.html
(ANS thanks Charles Suckling, G3WDG, via Southgate ARC, for the above
information)
+ Two ISS astronauts, including newly-arrived Bob Behnken, KE5GGX, per-
formed a spacewalk to replace batteries on the outside of the station
(and dropped a handheld mirror which promptly became the newest piece
of space debris). (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above infor-
mation)
+ Hackster recently featured a nice little project using a Raspberry Pi
to display the current location of the International Space Station
(ISS) and its trajectory over time, using an ePaper Display, Proto-
Stax Enclosure and some Python code. See https://bit.ly/2Ao9HVa
(ANS thanks to hackster.io and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above
information)
+ The Space Science Center at Morehead State University (Kentucky) is
accepting applications for a full-time position as a Space Systems
Engineer ? Software Engineer. For details and to apply, see:
https://moreheadstate.peopleadmin.com/postings/9284
Please note: The preferred closing date has passed, but they are
still accepting applications! (ANS thanks Morehead State and JoAnne
Maenpaa, K9JKM, for the above information)
+ The Benchmark Space Systems team is excited to sponsor and present a
complimentary ?Propulsion Systems 101? workshop Wednesday July 8 at
1:00 p.m. EST (1700z) The workshop will provide satellite integrators
and constellation developers with a broad overview of propulsion
technologies and their associated operational capabilities. Register
at: https://www.lrainstitute.com/event_post/0720-propulsion-systems/
(ANS thanks Benchmark Space Systems and JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM, for
the above information)
+
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.
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.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.
73 and Remember to help keep amateur radio in space,
This week's ANS Editor, Mark D. Johns, K0JM
k0jm at amsat dot org
------------------------------
Subject: Digest Footer
_______________________________________________
Sent via amsat-bb@?????.???.
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 member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
------------------------------
End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 221
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