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CX2SA > SATDIG 14.07.20 22:47l 777 Lines 36258 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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To : SATDIG@WW
Today's Topics:
1. Re: Why we are having this big unpleasant argument on your
satellite mailing list (Joseph Armbruster)
2. Re: Why we are having this big unpleasant argument on your
satellite mailing list (Paul N6EV)
3. Re: Slack vs. eMail -- The medium is the message (Bob Hammond)
4. Re: Brief summary of the "unauthorized expenses" claim
(John Brier)
5. Former AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, Endorses N8HM,
N8MH, and KK5DO (Upward To HEO)
6. Re: Slack vs. eMail -- The medium is the message (Bruce Perens)
7. Who I'm voting for (long) (Stephen E. Belter)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 01:20:08 -0400
From: Joseph Armbruster <josepharmbruster@?????.???>
To: Bruce Perens <bruce@??????.???>
Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Why we are having this big unpleasant argument
on your satellite mailing list
Message-ID:
<CADkz4c98zcZ5PRn4qY-M8FQ6D8UgVSb3zPFiZhs_C0rFS=ckHw@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Bruce,
How is electing more new blood going to resolve anything, from a
practical standpoint? That's like saying "well, just throw 4 new
engineers at a problem and that will help us solve it in the next few
months". Engineering problems don't scale that way, and interpersonal
ones, definitely don't (ref: marriage). Maybe there will be more
people that will be agreeable and provide a positive perception but
that can't be confused with organizational competence and
productivity. And don't get me wrong here, i'm not saying anyone is
innocent or guilty of any particular action in the past, because I
didn't sit in meetings where anything that has been discussed on this
thread had actually occurred, but I know that throwing new people at a
problem isn't necessarily the best answer (democracy or not).
That being said, the whole 'us vs them' talking point, seems like a
recent development per my personal experience and it actually makes my
blood boil a little. Maybe others have had different experiences, but
being co-located near several AMSAT members and having developed
personal relationships with several of them, both locally and abroad ,
this really hurts. And it hurts a lot. Because I witnessed almost 0
'us vs them' over anything through the ARISSat days (2008 - 2011) and
tapering off through 2018. No-one I knew was bickering about anything
except awkward bb-posts, shipping dates, machining, assembling,
testing and maybe putting together a teach-in... The technical /
development emails I was on were full of interactions of software
devs, hardware devs, etc... From crimping and soldering pins, to
literally building a vacuum chamber and hermetically sealed
feed-throughs for it. I remember even sending one engineer some gyros
I had around my shack because they had a hard time procuring some.
Oh, and these may not be found on any AMSAT invoice because I didn't
charge AMSAT for them (or the shipping!), just did it to help the team
out because the people were awesome. They invested their free time
and worked so damn hard for the love of the game, it's insane really.
I witnessed the polar opposite characterization of AMSAT and the
board. To me, it was always the best and brightest, incredibly
active, caring and hard-working group of people that spent most of
their free cycles volunteering to the development of the craft or
mentoring others. I saw nothing but good people, absolutely amazing
engineers and role models. I have nothing but good to say of the
organization, I feel indebted to it in many ways and really would like
to see it flourish in the ways that I was able to benefit from it. In
fact, so-much-so, that I became a life member in 2018. That may not
be a huge financial decision to others but it sure was to me at the
time.
I can't speak to the good-old-days of AMSAT, because I wasn't alive at
the time. I am really more of a recent, modern, techie, transient, in
terms of HAM/AMSAT history. But from my observations, the results of
ARISSat-1 and AMSAT-Fox(es) are reasonably incredible, given the
logistics, individual life circumstances and all the rest. The
architecture, the modularity of the stack, the coordination for the
launches, the people making it happen, and Getting It Done. Maybe i'm
just easily impressed by simple engineering things but it's really
hard to argue with Results. And with so many satellite failures out
there, it is rather impressive!
Maybe there are interpersonal problems, but if you're going to sit
here any bash the board... really? They, and everyone underneath them
(who likely didn't have
every-single-cent-approved-for-every-single-receipt), are just getting
stuff done. When it comes to organizations like this, as a wise man
once told me at an AMSAT Symposium "it takes all kinds". And though,
you may not necessarily agree with those kinds in the moment, most of
them really just want to hack and produce something cool.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't always make that easy and they need
to operate within their provided constraints. And also unfortunately,
the world will only ever focus on the bad and ignore all the good.
Joseph Armbruster
KJ4JIO
On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 6:19 PM Bruce Perens via AMSAT-BB
<amsat-bb@?????.???> wrote:
>
> Most of you are members of AMSAT. IMO the organization has some serious
> problems, and as members it is your duty to steer the organization with
> your votes. That means that you should remain aware of what is going on and
> you should make an informed vote. The satellite discussions go on, mostly
> uninterrupted, all year. A short break for politics is not unreasonable,
> and acrimonious discussion is to be expected when we take that break.
>
> Organisations are run by people who would not be doing the work if they did
> not have strong emotions about it. And they all have their own failings.
> Unfortunately, volunteer non-profit directors (and many public ones in big
> corporations) never learn a critical skill of democracy: *how to deal
> properly with opposition. *That is the root of what we are arguing about
> now. Opposition are not the enemy! Yet, they are clearly being treated as
> such. They are simply people who would reform the organization or take it
> in a different direction from the incumbents.
>
> In this case, Michelle and Patrick, before they were elected, were the
> loyal opposition - dedicated to a better organization, and deeply troubled
> by the decisions and conduct of the incumbent board. The incumbent's
> response was not to work with the opposition, but to hunker down and use
> lawyers. To the incumbent's great distress, the very same people got sent
> to the board by the membership! Leading to more lawyers. IMO the incumbents
> should have read this as a signal from the membership, rather than doubling
> down their resistance.
>
> The sad reality is that the newly-elected directors have never been allowed
> to function as directors. You should be concerned, since they are the
> people whom you elected to represent you. The main means used to disable
> your elected representatives has been refusal by the incumbents to hold
> board meetings. This refusal is almost total, with exactly *one* meeting
> being held after the organization's annual convention.
>
> The second means used to disenfranchise the newly-elected directors was
> that the incumbents withheld information which a director would generally
> be expected to have access to. As it happened, this information was at
> least in part discussion of those very same people, and contracting of
> legal counsel in a process against them.
>
> Every board has the right to legal counsel. But it's expensive, and must be
> used wisely. This was not a wise use. A wise use would have been to engage
> the opposition rather than to hunker down.
>
> One very large cause of all of this is that the same people have been
> running AMSAT for a very long time, and it becomes an echo chamber after a
> while - the us-vs-them mentality of the board vs. the opposition - but
> really the board vs. everyone else - becomes self-reinforcing.
>
> This is obviously wrong for the organization. The solution is simple, and
> every organization needs it: *regular turn-over of the people in the
> organization's leadership. *Not the stratification that we currently have.
>
> You can fix this by electing more new blood to the board.
>
> Thanks
>
> Bruce
>
> --
> Bruce Perens - CEO at stealth startup. I'll tell you what it is eventually
> :-)
> _______________________________________________
> 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: 2
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 01:42:18 -0500
From: "Paul N6EV" <Paul@????.???>
To: <AMSAT-BB@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Why we are having this big unpleasant argument
on your satellite mailing list
Message-ID: <01f401d659a9$eba34820$c2e9d860$@????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Henry - K5YDD,
BRAVO! Yours is the clearest and most on-point response I've read so far.
As an outside observer like you without the cloud of bias on one side or the
other, it is clear to see what is happening. It's very sad to see the
damage being inflicted on the AMSAT-NA organization at the moment. Damage
from which, regardless of the outcome of the election, will take many many
years to recover, if ever.
73
Paul N6EV
Retired Spacecraft Manager
-----Original Message-----
From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces@?????.???> On Behalf Of HenryTurner via
AMSAT-BB
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2020 6:24 PM
To: amsat-bb@?????.???
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Why we are having this big unpleasant argument on
your satellite mailing list
Hello all,
I am not an AMSAT member. I know no one personally or otherwise who is
to my knowledge a member of AMSAT. The last member I knew, was W5GEL.
Some may remember him. He was well known and SK in July of 2003. I
have not worked a satellite in years. I say all this to establish that
I truly have no connection to anyone who has responded to any of this
discussion.
My basic observation is the following: AMSAT seems to have become the
object of a takeover. In the world of public companies this happens
often, where an activist investor comes in with the intention of taking
control of the company. The reasons for this can be varied and
complex. Be it intellectual property, general assets or general control
(usually with a mindset that the company is being run wrongly or
ineptly.) Because BODs in a public company are not really selected by
all stock holders as such only by those who control the majority of the
stock (don't fool yourself -- your vote is not equal to Buffett's,
unless you own as many shares as he does.) The activist usually becomes
well known as are his intentions. A slate of directors is put up and if
the activist wins, his board winners are nothing more than his proxies.
AMSAT is different instead of an individual buying stock for control, a
program of "get the votes" from the general membership ensues. To put
it in distasteful terms a propaganda war ensues. Your common Joe or
Joelene just does not have the access to all that two board members did
to get the votes to be elected.
Please don't be fooled by the, "it was this or it was that." There is a
minority who wishes to become the majority. By bringing all this to the
public -- chaos ensues -- doubt clouds minds meanwhile control is
taken. There are two board members who have caused upheaval they are
proxies for another.
I would suggest that whether you agree with the direction of AMSAT or
not, do not let it change (deserving to change or not) because of a
hijacking or coup. If it wasn't the attorney expense excuse it would
have been something else down the road.
Thanks, again, just an opinion based on nothing more than reading these
discussions.
Henry -- K5YDD
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 10:57:03 -0700
From: Bob Hammond <propgrinder@?????.???>
To: amsat-bb@?????.???
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Slack vs. eMail -- The medium is the message
Message-ID:
<CAKoB7Oo87QuxNT589k=VDrVXp1Eiex9ZCUi1135=Dr0zEeoPkg@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
An email BB like we have now takes little (or used to take little)
administration. Do we want to add another admin task if we don't have to?
Subgroups are a good idea and they work. I think amsat-bb is an adequate
subgroup as it stands.
Bob W7OTJ
On Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 10:06 AM Eli Caul via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
wrote:
> In my corporate experience, you need to be very careful with these
> solutions - -It sounds great at first, but what ends up happening is you
> create so many sub groups in an effort to cover every interest that you end
> up with a big splintered environment in which you can?t find anything.
>
> Also, IM solutions like Teams, Slack etc are really trying to solve a
> different problem. They are great for short sprints, projects, service
> outages and the like, but the messages tend to be very ephemeral.
>
> We tried this in a few of the car clubs I participate in, and the people
> who suffer the most are casual visitors. They read digests, or just
> browse the list a few times a month and they get caught up.
>
> In an IM environment, it seems that you have to be on it every day or else
> things get lost in the sands of time.
>
> We run a hybrid solution at work that might work well for AMSAT. Leave
> the mailing list(s) basically as is, and then set up a Slack type solution
> for special projects, or intense conversations like the recent thread re:
> Amsat management and direction.
>
> Sharing my experience, HTH, etc etc
>
> '73 de KK6ZHZ
>
> - Eli Caul
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb-bounces@?????.???> On Behalf Of Robert MacHale
> via AMSAT-BB
> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 07:23
> To: amsat-bb@?????.???
> Subject: [amsat-bb] Slack vs. eMail -- The medium is the message
>
> Can I suggest moving AMSAT member communications from eMail to Slack?
>
> When I taught at UC Riverside last year - we used Slack to communicate
> with students. The tech companies I have worked with in Southern California
> have used Slack for many years. Recently, I noticed the Parrot Disco (RC
> Glider) club uses Slack to communicate with volunteers and members:
>
> https://github.com/uavpal/disco4g
>
> The benefit to Slack is having channels for each topic. In this case,
> discussion about Board Membership can be in it's own channel. People who
> are not interested are not required to read.
>
> Each technology can have it's own channel. Each project can have it's own
> channel. And, members can find each other easily.
> This current eMail subscription for all things creates a pain point -
> encouraging everyone to read everything.
> I highly recommend the Board of Directors evaluate Slack as a replacement
> for eMail; the corporate cost per user in low compared to value: excellent
> ROI. Remember, eMail subscriptions became popular in the 1980s. This
> protocol is entirely outdated and outmoded for conversations today. Keep in
> mind, the Medium is the message - another reminder AmSat has become
> outdated and outmoded and not keeping up with the times.
> Slack has been a positive and transforming tool employed on many projects
> I have worked with recently.
> Sincerely,
>
> 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
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
> _______________________________________________
> 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: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 14:17:53 -0400
From: John Brier <johnbrier@?????.???>
To: Rich Gopstein <rich@????????????.???>
Cc: Amsat - BBs <amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Brief summary of the "unauthorized expenses"
claim
Message-ID:
<CALn0fKMsARJZih=Zh9ri93ZfCCkUdNUC=Xv6YyZgX-sQutXO5Q@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Right, so it's possible that the expenses were made within the bylaws,
from what you're saying. The question still remains, was it wise?
Which brings me to a point I want to make in response to this from
Clayton's message:
"It is absurd for two newly elected board members to make accusations
of unauthorized expenditures when it was in part the actions of
Directors Thompson and Stoddard prior to their election that forced
the Board at that time to take appropriate action to seek legal
counsel to protect the corporation."
You always have a choice. Instead of hiring lawyers you could have
engaged Michelle and Patrick about their concerns. You could have done
this informally and in additional board meetings beyond the one you
had.
Describing criticism or opposition as attacks and threats, and
engaging lawyers over it, shows to me that there is room for
improvement in handling criticism.
73, John Brier KG4AKV
On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 9:19 PM Rich Gopstein via AMSAT-BB
<amsat-bb@?????.???> wrote:
>
> Let me clarify:
>
> I said "the board said the expenses were authorized."
>
> I didn't say "the board directly authorized the expenses"
>
> The implication is that the officers authorized the expenses and the board
> was OK with that. And since it's up to the board to decide what the
> officers can or can't authorize, the fact that they said that the expenses
> were authorized should be sufficient.
>
> Rich
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 5:46 PM Steve Kristoff via AMSAT-BB <
> amsat-bb@?????.???> wrote:
>
> >
> > But even in your own evaluation there are contradictions.
> >
> > Quote from your email: "If an expense went to the board for approval, it
> > would show up in the
> > minutes of that board meeting."
> >
> > Further down your email: "- In this case, the members of the AMSAT board
> > at the time said that the
> > expenses were authorized."
> >
> >
> > Then, by your own evaluation of the by-laws, if the members of the board
> > authorized the expenditures (second quote), shouldn't that authorization
> > show up in the minutes of the board meeting? (first quote)
> >
> > Steve AI9IN
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Rich Gopstein via AMSAT-BB (amsat-bb@?????.????
> > Date: 07/13/20 15:25
> > To: Amsat - BBs (AMSAT-BB@?????.????
> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Brief summary of the "unauthorized expenses" claim
> >
> > First: I'm not a lawyer. These are my observations only.
> >
> > This is what I learned over the past few days while researching the claim
> > that the AMSAT money spent on legal services related to the new directors
> > was "unauthorized".
> >
> > - I read the AMSAT bylaws. They are very readable, BTW - and not long.
> > - The bylaws say that expenses can be authorized either by the board
> > itself or by the officers of AMSAT if the board delegates that
authority.
> > - If an expense went to the board for approval, it would show up in the
> > minutes of that board meeting.
> > - If an expense were authorized by an officer, then it wouldn't show up
> > in the minutes of a board meeting.
> > - The claim that the expenses were unauthorized was based on the
> > observation that there was no record in the board meeting minutes of the
> > authorization. However, as mentioned above, not everything has to go to
> > the board for approval. And that decision is up to the board itself.
> > - In this case, the members of the AMSAT board at the time said that the
> > expenses were authorized.
> > - Since the board has the authority to authorize expenditures (directly
> > or indirectly) and they say the expenses were authorized, that indicates
> > to
> > me that the expenses were authorized.
> >
> > Note: Michelle and Patrick were not members of the board when this
> > happened. They were analyzing this after the fact.
> >
> > Rich
> > KD2CQ
> > AMSAT Life Member
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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
> >
> _______________________________________________
> 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: 5
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 14:42:34 -0400
From: Upward To HEO <upwardtoheo@?????.???>
To: amsat-bb@?????.???
Subject: [amsat-bb] Former AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW,
Endorses N8HM, N8MH, and KK5DO
Message-ID:
<CAB815W4DTqivvMpb9euo1UYYL88WxEavpEmprDT0MP6gj3gO8Q@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
We are honored to receive the endorsement of former AMSAT President
Barry Baines, WD4ASW, in this year's AMSAT Board of Directors
election. Please read his letter at
https://www.upwardtoheo.com/updates/former-amsat-president-barry-baines-wd4asw
-endorses-n8hm-n8mh-and-kk5do
While you're there, please check out our biographies and information
about our plans on our website. We'd like your support. Together we
will return amateur radio to HEO!
73,
Paul, N8HM / Mark, N8MH / Bruce, KK5DO
www.upwardtoheo.com
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 11:53:23 -0700
From: Bruce Perens <bruce@??????.???>
To: Michelle Thompson <mountain.michelle@?????.???>
Cc: AMSAT BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Slack vs. eMail -- The medium is the message
Message-ID:
<CAK2MWOsJN5SOp_sKtmMXE=edAXtmUN1aHC06e60Zy5CSzxwnXQ@????.?????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Discord's company has some reputation problems. Pretty much everything bad
that social networks do, they found a way to do to as well.
Unfortunately about the only way to avoid this sort of issue is to control
your own facilities, which open source software makes possible. And of
course this means somebody has to manage it. I will not deny that that is a
serious overhead for a volunteer organization.
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 20:08:48 +0000
From: "Stephen E. Belter" <seb@??????.???>
To: AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb@?????.???>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Who I'm voting for (long)
Message-ID: <AED5687B-DDD0-4D0C-BC13-023F049D8916@??????.???>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
The ballots for the annual election of members of the AMSAT Board of
Directors will arrive in members' mailboxes soon. My vote is no more
important than any other member's vote. However, I'm privileged to know
personally all of the candidates, as well as all of the board members, all
of the officers, and the previous 4-5 presidents of AMSAT.
With one exception, I call all of them my friends. (I don't know one of
them that well.) None of my friends are perfect, but I feel fortunate that
they are contributing their time and efforts to AMSAT.
If you don't know all of the candidates personally, I hope you find the
following useful when you are casting your ballot.
For readers that don't know me, I've been a member of AMSAT since 1993 and
I'm a Life Member. I also contribute financially to AMSAT beyond membership
dues. I like operating the satellites, with 635 confirmed grids, and 487 of
the 488 continental USA grids. I also like operating portable with over 150
reverse grids, that is, I've made confirmed satellite QSOs from 150 grids
while traveling through the US and Canada.
I've also volunteered for AMSAT, helping with the AMSAT booth at the Dayton
Hamvention on multiple occasions, including being the AMSAT Dayton Team
Leader from 2013 through 2017. I'm also part of a small team of individuals
that has rewritten, reorganized, and updated annually the AMSAT "Getting
Started With Amateur Satellites" book from 2013 through 2020. I've also
attended a number of the AMSAT Symposia.
Here are the candidates for this year's three open seats:
Mark Hammond, N8MH -- Mark has served on the AMSAT BoD for a number of years
and has invested countless hours and money as a Control Op for AMSAT's
satellites. He likes collecting telemetry and often answers questions about
SatPC32 and digital operations on the AMSAT-BB. In addition to being very
smart, he works well with people, and is Provost at Campbell University.
Mark is a very good friend and I have full confidence in him and his
judgement.
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM -- Paul has served as Secretary and as Executive Vice
President of AMSAT. He is a great operator, having given me a number of
grids around Washington, DC and in Michigan. I think he is at 486 confirmed
of the 488 grids in the continental USA. He has been a huge asset to AMSAT,
getting the day-to-day work of the organization done, working on the website
and store, filling in during Presidential absences, and assisting in the
AMSAT Office in Kensington. He is very smart and often answers questions on
the AMSAT-BB and Twitter. Paul is a good friend and I have full confidence
in him and his judgement.
Bruce Paige, KK5DO -- Bruce has handled the AMSAT awards for years and is a
member of the BoD. He also hosts a regular AMSAT net in Houston which is
available over the Internet. Now that he has retired from his day job, he
is devoting additional time to supporting AMSAT and tutoring new operators.
Bruce is a friend and I have full confidence in him and his judgement.
Howie DeFelice, AB2S -- I've met Howie at Dayton and have seen his posts on
the AMSAT-BB and the Ground-Station mail lists. I don't know Howie well
enough to claim him as a friend, but I respect his technical expertise and
appreciate the time he volunteers.
Bob McGwier, N4HY -- Bob has a long history with AMSAT, having served as VP
of Engineering and as a member of the BoD. He is incredibly smart. He was
one of the inventors of software-defined modems and software-defined radios.
Bob is a friend and I listen carefully when he speaks (or writes). I'm
uncertain where he wants to take AMSAT now.
Jeff Johns, WE4B -- Jeff has given me a number of grids and I've returned
the favor when I've been roving. He has mentored his two young daughters
who do a great job operating satellites. It is always a thrill hearing them
operate. Jeff is a friend and I'm always happy when we make contact.
There has been lots of discussion, some quite heated and not always
accurate, about transparency, legal expenses, and who isn't being
cooperative. As a result of attending parts of board meetings at the AMSAT
Symposia, occasionally delivering reports to the BoD about Dayton on BoD
teleconferences, and private conversations with AMSAT officers and BoD
members, I feel I have a good understanding of the workings of the board and
the issues at the core of the disagreements. I share my observations below.
To get to the point, I plan to vote for Mark Hammond, Paul Stoetzer, and
Bruce Paige.
The other members of the BoD are Jerry, Drew, Patrick, and Michelle.
Jerry Buxton, N0JY -- Jerry is a member of the Board and is VP of
Engineering. He does a great job of organizing a bunch of engineering
volunteers, supervising progress on a wide number of aspects of our designs,
implementations, and launches. There are far more engineering volunteers
than you might imagine, and the technical challenges and regulatory
requirements for new satellites going to higher orbits are daunting. He is
also our primary contact for unmanned launches by NASA. Jerry is a friend
and I have full confidence in him and his judgement.
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA -- Drew is VP of Operations and a member of the
board. He vets potential launch providers and negotiates the fees for paid
launches. He also has invested countless hours and money as a Control Op
for AMSAT's satellites. He is also a regular operator and has collected
over 1750 grids. Drew is a friend and I have full confidence in him and his
judgement.
Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK -- My first QSO with Patrick was in 2011. He's
given me lots of grids and I've returned the favor by giving Patrick several
grids while I've been roving. He is constantly roving the southwest and
represents AMSAT at numerous hamfests and club meetings. He is one of our
hardest working representatives for AMSAT. Unfortunately, he got into a
pointless conflict with Drew, KO4MA, over what should have been a trivial
matter. When Drew wouldn't capitulate, Patrick took his beef to Joe Spier,
K6WAO, then the President of AMSAT. When Joe wouldn't discipline Drew,
Patrick decided that Joe should be fired. The situation went further
downhill from there. Patrick should be a tremendous asset to the BoD from
his experience as a satellite operator and an AMSAT representative.
Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case, as he's fixated on revenge for
perceived wrongs. He's been a major contributor to the dysfunctional board
meetings. With a change of attitude, he c
ould still be a major contributor to the board. I still consider Patrick
to be a friend.
Michelle Thompson, W5NYV -- I met Michelle at Dayton in 2008 and was
immediately impressed. She is a very intelligent individual with a wide
range of interests. She is highly organized and excellent at engaging
volunteers for her projects. I was so impressed that I asked her to be the
dinner speaker for the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at Dayton in 2016.
Unfortunately, Michelle sometime chooses to "Do what you want and ask
forgiveness later." She did it to me and put me in a terrible position.
I asked Michelle for help in creating a 3D printer design for a model of the
Fox satellites. I requested and received a CAD file of AO-85 from AMSAT
Engineering to help with this project. Michelle and Paul Williamson, KB5MU,
created the 3D printer model. Michelle said they wanted to post the file on
the Internet so others could use it. I asked her to wait to make it public
until I received permission from the AMSAT Board of Directors, since AMSAT
is governed by ITAR. She said OK, then posted it without waiting for
permission. This put me in a terrible position with AMSAT Engineering and
the BoD. As a result, I was really mad. Fortunately for me, it worked out
OK with Engineering and the BoD. I'm not mad now, but I learned an
important lesson about working with Michelle.
Michelle has been a major contributor to the dysfunctional board meetings.
With a change of attitude, Michelle could still be a huge asset to the
board. I still consider her to be a friend.
I learned from others that similar problems, "Do what you want and ask
forgiveness later," had occurred before between AMSAT and Michelle. So why
the dirty laundry now? Michelle gets elected to the board, then demands a
list of all of the Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) AMSAT has signed (for
example, with NASA, launch providers, and potential satellite partners)
*and* that they be made public. Some, if not all of the NDAs state that the
content of the NDA and its existence will not be disclosed by AMSAT. (By
the way, I know AMSAT has signed NDAs, but I don't know how many or with
whom.)
This puts the Board and the Officers in a terrible dilemma. Do they share
these confidential NDAs with the new board members who have publicly stated
that they don't think NDAs need to be kept private? What is the impact on
AMSAT if NASA or a launch provider or another partner decides that AMSAT
isn't a reliable organization that can be trusted not to share private
information? How do we get future AMSAT satellites to orbit if the free
launches from NASA or paid launches from providers are no longer available
to us?
Of course, Michelle and Patrick spin this as the Board being uncooperative
and not being transparent.
Officers who are not elected board members:
Joe Spier, K6WAO, past President -- Joe agreed to serve as President of
AMSAT when Barry Baines, WD4ASW, decided to retire after a decade of leading
AMSAT. Joe threw himself into the position, did an excellent job of
succeeding Barry, and moved the organization forward. In addition to his
huge time investment, Joe also contributed a significant amount of money to
AMSAT and covered a lot of expenses he incurred traveling and promoting
AMSAT. I don't know why Joe resigned, but it wouldn't surprise me if he
decided he didn't need to defend himself from lawsuits from new board
members that didn't like the job he was doing. This is, after all, a
volunteer position. Joe is a friend.
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, President -- After Joe resigned, Clayton stepped
forward to fill the vacancy and was elected by the board. Clayton was
Secretary and a past member of the board. He took the job of President to
try to resolve the problems with a dysfunctional board and to try to save
AMSAT. (Yes, the situation is that dire.) He has made some changes for the
better, but is still struggling to solve the problems. Clayton is a good
friend and I have full confidence in him and his judgement.
Robert Bankston, KE4AL, Treasurer and VP of User Services -- Robert is a
relatively new member of AMSAT, but he's jumped in with both feet and made a
huge contribution to the organization. He hosted the Huntsville Symposium,
roves on a regular basis, has resuscitated User Services, and also took over
the job of Treasurer when Keith Baker, KB1SF, decided to retire. He also
spearheaded the new member portal, membership database, and online website
for new and renewing membership. Robert is a good friend and I have full
confidence in him and his judgement.
To conclude this too long dissertation, despite considerable headwinds and
misinformation, AMSAT is making progress. I plan to vote for Mark Hammond,
Paul Stoetzer, and Bruce Paige with the expectation that AMSAT can continue
to make additional progress.?
73, Steve N9IP
--
Steve Belter, seb@??????.???
------------------------------
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End of AMSAT-BB Digest, Vol 15, Issue 253
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