[amsat-bb] Reply to W5PFG's letter of 10 July 2020

[Bruce Perens]

On Mon, Jul 27, 2020 at 2:06 PM Joseph Armbruster <
josepharmbruster at gmail.com> wrote:

> How long have the projects been taking place and what has
> actually been produced?
>

There is quite a lot that you can find on the web site.
https://openresearch.institute/  and these github repositories:
https://github.com/phase4ground/dvb_fpga
https://github.com/phase4ground/polar
https://github.com/phase4ground/documents
https://github.com/phase4ground/DVB-receiver
It's a pretty good record for an organization started in February 2019.


> So with all the amateur radio in space work ORI is getting now, is it
> directly competing with AMSAT at this point or is it still trying to 'fix'
> AMSAT?
>

You would not see three of the candidates, plus Michelle, Patrick, and
myself were there not a desire to fix AMSAT. I think ORI has become a
viable destination for funding the future development of Amateur Satellite,
while AMSAT is not being a good destination for that presently. This can be
fixed and both organizations can receive funding for their individual
projects solely on their technical merits. IMO AMSAT loses funds today due
to problems in organizational transparency and reliability in directing
funds to the earmarked purpose. I have heard specific complaints by two
large donors, but was not authorized to relay them.

Any organization could do the same and would likely get accepted
> (membership-fees applied).
>

Actually, we were appreciative that Brennan was running this. I do not
believe it would have gone as you say otherwise.


> My individual observation is that AMSAT never hired an attorney 'against'
> me, or any volunteering members in the past, at least the ones I know
> personally.  So, there must be a difference or other information /
> circumstances.
>

Yes, there is indeed a difference. You have not acted as opposition.

As I have explained, volunteer  directors of non-profit boards sometimes do
not learn how to deal with opposition. The problem is certainly not that
Michelle and Patrick have acted as opposition, but that the incumbent board
has ineptly and undemocratically handled opposition.


> Congratulations on lobbying to end morse code.  Just imagine the number of
> Amateur radio users there would be, if we just lobbied to get rid of the
> permits.


 So, do you think I never heard this sort of poorly-though-out rationale?
Obviously I was not working to get rid of the "permits". Although Amateur
licensing increased for a time, and we headed off our *immediate *demise, *it
is no longer doing so. *Old farts like you and I, Joseph, do not matter to
the future of Amateur Radio. Obviously we need to get it working on things
that will interest young people, or it may be that we preside over the end
of ham radio within our lifetimes.

    Thanks

    Bruce