[amsat-bb] Re: Volunteered

[Rocky Jones]

Bill. I think I owe you the favor of an apology, if you sent me something off line and I didnt reply to it.  Sorry.

I will check back and make sure that 1) it didnt by accident go into junk mail and 2) I just didnt miss it in the regular folders.

We had quite a crush of email over the last few weeks...my wife and I had shotgunned out a "we are pregnant" email...and I might have just missed it.

I'll look for it tonight...

Robert WB5MZO

> Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:38:32 -0700
> From: bill at hsmicrowave.com
> To: orbitjet at hotmail.com
> CC: rwmcgwier at gmail.com; rswart1 at twcny.rr.com; amsat-bb at amsat.org
> Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Re: Volunteered
> 
> 
> 
> Rocky Jones wrote:
> > Bob
> > 
> > What has been remarkable about this thread, is that it has shown how dysfunctional AMSAT NA is.
> > 
> > Forget satelllite 
> It's satellite - by the way!
> construction etc...people point out problems with the web site and next 
> thing you have is someone explaining who can and cannot comment on the 
> state of the organization (to paraphrase "we dont need weak volunteers 
> who are discouraged by no real method of being able to volunteer  one 
> has to earn the right to be critical...")
> > 
> > Forget the ability to answer serious questions like (and I know its annoying) As a team memb"how was the suitsat 2 program allowed to not meet the ability to use the "suits".
> 
> As a SuitSat team member, I gave you a brief answer offline and offered 
> to get more detail if you so desired. You didn't respond. It's obvious 
> to me that you really don't want an answer, You just want to be a 
> boring, broken record.
> 
> So I'll repeat the simple answer, here, why we missed the suit launch. 
> Listen up.
> 
> The SuitSat team is made up entirely of volunteers who have real jobs, 
> families, and other responsibilities. Hey, we're just pursuing our 
> Amateur radio HOBBY - not a professional job. Some of you folks talk 
> like we're a Loral or Lockheed.  Did you critics forget that Amateur 
> radio satellites are a hobby - not a business?
> 
> Well, by golly, along the way technical challenges delayed progress. 
> Jobs and families got in the way. Son of a gun - we missed schedules. 
> I'm not offering excuses, just offering the reality of having folks on 
> the team that aren't getting paid for their fantastic efforts.
> 
> Sure, it's not nice to have technical issues show up or to miss 
> schedules but in the scheme of things, what have we lost - except maybe 
> creditability in YOUR eyes. We now have a new satellite structure more 
> suited for what we are trying to do technically - called ARRISat.
> 
> The way you've been carrying on, I am so very glad we don't have you 
> volunteering - even to stuff envelopes. You'd probably say that we were 
> doing that wrong too. Personally, I thought that refunding your AMSAT 
> life membership would make me feel better, but on further reflection, 
> AMSAT should just keep your money since it is helping fund efforts to 
> serve it's members who appreciate what volunteers are trying to do for 
> them and their hobby.
> 
> And if you think any of your comments have caused the ARRISat team to 
> miss a beat on the way to our 2010 launch, then think again. This team 
> has tackled and solved technical challenges more significant for the 
> future of AMSAT and its members, than ANY of the issues you raise.
> 
> Regards...Bill - N6GHz
> 
> > 
> > And from what I can tell no one has a clue why Suitsat 1 failed (I know it was a glorious success by just deploying)  much less how to avoid a repeat of that with a much more complicated followon which is now functionally a new satellite.
> > 
> > And of course the whole concept of board meetings which really are not is entertaining.
> > 
> > The answers are "you cannot criticize "us" we are working 16 to 18 hour days doing things that no one else will do"...
> > 
> > and then one wonders why donations are at an all time low.
> > 
> > Robert WB5MZO Amsat NA life member
> > 
> > 
> > 
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