Donations

[Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RI]

Dear AMRAD Members,

Please parden this intrusion in your holidays. But it is the end of
the year--the time to be considering tax-deductions for 2001.

Although some members have made unsoliced donations, we have never
made a specific appeal for money. The year 2002 is a little different
in that the Board of Directors has approved two new projects. Normal
expenses for 2002 are about the same as in past years and are well
under control. Our need is for the extraordinary costs for these
projects.

The first project is a complete replacement of our repeater and its
installation at a new site at the Gannett Building near Tyson's
Corner. The existing hardware has long outlived its useful life. We
need new equipment to provide years of service and fit completely in
one 19-inch relay rack available to us at the new site. Our old
cavities, while fine electrically, will not fit in the rack and we
expect to sell them to recover our earlier investment. We do not yet
have a bill of materials for the new repeater but it will be on the
order of $2k. Elton Sanders, WB5MMB is the project leader.

The second project is to build a new satellite. AMSAT is expected to
fund the cost of the spacecraft and the launch. Nevertheless, we
anticipate the need for some money to cover small purchases related to
hardware. The present concept for this new satellite is to provide 4
channels of AO-27-like capability (2-m/70-cm FM) and a L-band
up/S-band down transponder. The latter transponder may be used for the
KA9Q experiment if it is ready in time and may be capable of
sufficient bandwidth for digital TV streaming or multimedia (at least
500 kHz). The exact parameters are under consideration by the project
team. Mark Kanawati, N4TPY, is our focal point for this project.

Please consider a donation of $25, $50, $100 or more to make these
projects possible. AMRAD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit scientific and
educational organization, and donations are tax-exempt. Your check
should be payable to "AMRAD" and mailed to AMRAD, PO Drawer 6148,
McLean, VA 22106 or may be given to Treasurer Terry Fox, WB4JFI.

Happy Holidays and 73,
Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RI
AMRAD President