[amsat-bb] Re: A Proposal for ARISS

[Ben Jackson]

On 7/2/2011 3:52 AM, Edward R. Cole wrote:
> Well, it didn't take Amsat officials long to shoot down the proposal
> and tell me that ARISS does not stand for amateur radio use on
> ISS.  ARISS is a free use of ham radio for PR under the guise of
> educational outreach.

First off, a post on AMSAT-BB is not a proposal. Tony just outlined 
ARISS's mission and why a straight up transponder probably won't be 
supported by ARISS. Tony also stated that ARISS' goals. Now, if someone 
really wanted this, wouldn't it make sense to sit down and write out a 
proposal regarding a transponder project that dovetailed into ARISS' 
STEM goals?

Also, isn't Amateur Radio, by definition, "free" -- hence the whole 
"Amateur" status? Didn't a lot of us just do a giant PR event with 
amateur radio last weekend? How are we knocking NASA for this?

> Probably payback for cancelling my membership after 25-years and
> resigning as Field Op (their rules).  I found that I enjoy eating and
> having a roof over my head in my retirement so had to make a choice
> on what I spend money.

I read a well written explanation by Tony as to why a straight up 
transponder probably won't fly with ARISS. How can anyone interpret this 
as payback?

> This may very well be my final post on amsat-bb  ...25-years

Disappointed to hear that you may be leaving the list, I enjoyed your 
posts. However, after 15+ years or so of experience on listservs myself, 
I find these kinds of proclamations just plain silly.

 > Notice that my services are no longer free ....$150/hour for
 > technical help

<rant>
*sigh* People need to remember this is a hobby. If I probably calculated 
the amount of time I spent thinking about satellites alone and 
multiplied it by my consulting rate, I'd probably have enough to send my 
son to college already. Folks, be excited. If you're quoting rates and 
it's not the rate you pay people to burble about ham radio, you should 
really ask yourself if you're having fun doing it.
</rant>

-- 
Ben Jackson - N1WBV - New Bedford, MA
bbj <at> innismir.net - http://www.innismir.net/