[amsat-bb] Re: ARRL, AMSAT, and Publicity

[Bruce Robertson]

On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 6:25 PM, Clint Bradford
<clintbrad4d at earthlink.net> wrote:
> On Oct 7, 2008, at 12:00 PM, amsat-bb-request at AMSAT.Org wrote:
>
>> Your comment that the League is not interested in satellite
>> operations is,
>> in my opinion, also proper.
>
>
> Sorry if I am repeating myself, but WE are responsible for educating
> the ARRL and the media when it comes to amateur satellites.
>
> We should NOT expect ANY non-AMSAT entity to know anything about this
> aspect of the hobby.
>
> It is up to us who are involved in our "specialties" to convey -
> intelligently and using proper, approved methods - that information to
> appropriate sources.
>
> Most of our news comes from "media alerts" nowadays. Knowing HOW to
> contact and WHOM to contact with media alerts is OUR responsibility.
>
>
> Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359
> 909-241-7666
>

To shore up Clint's point with some evidence, note the ARRL's podcast
and email 'Letter'. These routinely announce interesting events and
changes in status pertaining to satellites. DO-64 was nicely
highlighted, both on launch with the other cubesats and upon its mode
change; and the re-purposing of AO-16 made good text.

Other podcasts such as TWIAR and Newsline have regular features on
AMSAT affairs. Frankly, I think we do a good job of getting our word
out. The times I've found my callsign spread across the web have been
instances where the AMSAT news service has caught a post of mine and
relayed it.

Where we might fail, and where people might incorrectly be faulting
ARRL, is in the quantity of satellite-related articles published in
QST. But QST depends on submissions, so unless we have evidence of
them junking AMSAT articles en masse, all we can do is step up our
submissions if we wish to alter this. Every editor I know is happy to
have lots of new stuff.

73, Bruce
VE9QRP

>
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