[amsat-bb] Six new satellites (The Amateur Radio Golden Rule)

[Robert Bruninga]

Paul Rinaldo's rule of Amateur Radio Progress:

Progress is made in Amateur Radio by letting energetic
individuals move forward.  Conversly, nothing in Amateur Radio
is accomplished by complaining about other individual's
projects.  Simple summary: If you don't like their project, then
go do or support your own choices.  Get out of their way. 

The service is where we are allowed to experiment as
individuals.  This means if you have an experiment, then do it.
If someone else has an experiment you like, then contribute to
it, support it, or get out of the way.  It's the individuals
that move forward and do something that makes Ham radio
progress.

Conversly, Its all the naysayers, thought police, kibitzers,
complainers, arm chair lawyers and couch potatos that hold much
progress back.  Not one cloud of their hot air will move
anything forward.  The only thing it does is make us all look
like old fuds and many of the would-be progressives just throw
in the towel and instead of a great hobby, they go get a real
job instead.

So, again, Ham radio is an unbelievably diverse collection of
intersts, modes, techniques, applications, projects, missions,
activities, directions, places, groups, frequenceis, bands,
devices, propagation, tests, events and experiments.  Choose
those you are interested in, jump in, contribute, move
forward...  Do not waste your time (and other's) trying to hold
others back from their interests.

NOTHING IS EVER ACCOMPLISHED PROGRESSIVELY BY TRYING TO FORCE
OTHERS INTO SPENDING THEIR TIME ON YOUR VIEW OF AMATEUR RADIO.
The best you can do is find other people that actually do
something and support them in a direction you want and hang on
for the ride.

I call this Paul Rinaldo's rule of Amateur Radio, because I
learned it back in the late 1970's or so when I was on the board
of directors and Paul was president of AMRAD which was working
on the AX.25 spec, and trying to develop the early East Coast
Packet System.  We all met frequently, and everyone had ideas of
which way to go.   It's the sentence that begins with "what they
need to do is..." that Paul pointed out was pointless.

Or something like that.  Over the years, in all the clubs and
organizations of Amateur Radio, I find it the rule to live by.
If you have an  idea, do it.  If someone else has an idea,
either join it or support it.  If it's a dumb idea, it will die,
don't waste  your time trying to assure its demise.  

But complaining about others people's progress just makes no
sense to me.

Bob, WB4APR