[aprssig] 2024-09-15 - APRS Foundation News!

[Jeff Hochberg]

Hello!

In keeping the spirit of ensuring that the APRS community, including all
our new members!) stays informed, it's a good idea to send out a newsletter
periodically.

I don't think we have enough news to commit to a weekly newsletter, but
we'll send these out as we have news to report!

Actually - after getting to the bottom of this message, I decided to circle
back up to the top...I can't believe how much news there is to share!

If I might make a request...

Please use aprssig and/or APRS on Groups.io to discuss the topics raised
here. Only use the Contact Us form for matters that require a direct
response.

https://www.aprsfoundation.org/contact-us/

*************
  Membership
*************

The response can be summed up in two words - freaking incredible!

As of the time I am writing this, membership has grown to 137 members!

I am confident that the leadership team did not expect us to get this
response!

We appreciate your understanding when we reported the issue with the first
membership management platform. We are very excited about the new platform,
and it's been nothing but smooth sailing!

*****************
 Special Mention
*****************

Over the past couple of years, we've kept in touch with Bob's daughter,
Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar. We recently sent her an email with the latest
status update. She was so excited that she signed up to become a member of
the Foundation!

We recognize Bethanne's support of the Foundation by assigning her an
"Honorary Lifetime Achievement" member!

Bethanne's response was so touching that we thought it appropriate to add
her father, Robert Bruninga, the creator of APRS, as a "WB4APR Lifetime
Achievement Member."

*******************
Membership Directory
*******************

Membership grew so quickly - we already had to move up to the second
subscription level the vendor offers.

Part of the upgrade included a new feature: a Membership Directory.

You will see a new "Directory" link on the right side. If you click that
link, you can view who else is a member.

And if you expect to find someone who isn't there...please encourage them
to sign up!

Also - the directory looks even better when you upload a photo! Please take
a couple of minutes and add a photo to your profile!

*************************
 Additional Details for Members
*************************

Many members develop products and services for the APRS ecosystem. Some are
well-recognized names in the APRS/ham radio community, etc.

Several were very creative in using existing fields to reflect their
creations. :-)

We want to make it easier!

If you have any suggestions on what Custom Field(s) would be helpful,
please let us know.

Adding Custom Fields is simple, and we want to provide you with a way to
share your creations with the rest of the APRS community.

Right off the bat, we thought of:

* Application/Product (this needs a better label for the field)
* Website

*************************
A(nother) Call for Use Cases
*************************

A while back, I sent an email to both aprssig and Groups.io, asking
everyone to think about how they use APRS and how they would document its
use case.

We haven't given up on wanting to see this happen.

I spoke 1:1 with one of our members (Chris). He shared how he and his
family use APRS (almost daily), and I thought it would be a prime
opportunity for someone to kickstart the Use Case project. Chris said he's
game!

Help Wanted - Documenting APRS Use Cases
https://how.aprs.works/help-wanted-documenting-aprs-use-cases/

*************************
IETF - RFC-like Process
*************************

We've discussed some ideas about how to facilitate healthy, productive
conversations about where to take APRS next.

It's safe to say that unless we have some semblance of process around this,
these sorts of discussions can spiral out of control, and none of us want
to see that happen.

The challenge is in coming up with finding a process that fits the
requirements of the APRS community.

If anyone happens to have references they think would be helpful, please
reach out via Contact Us form on the APRS Foundation website.

https://www.aprsfoundation.org/contact-us/

********************
ARDC Grant Proposal
********************

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) provides grants to a wide range
of amateur radio-related efforts.

The cutoff for the 2025 grant season was 9/6. APRS Foundation officially
submitted a grant proposal with a one and two-year plan. We expect they are
only providing funding for 12 months at a time, but we figured it couldn't
hurt to outline plans for both 12 and 24 months.

As is always the case, your guess regarding whether or not our proposal
will be accepted is as good as ours.

ARDC stated the following on their website:

"Applications received after September 6, 2024 will be reviewed February 1,
2025."

Of course, we will let you know if we hear anything, but for now - we wait!

*********************************
Executive Team Meetings and Reporting
*********************************

The Foundation recognizes that members want to know what's going on. Your
money supports the Foundation's efforts, and you have every right to know.

We are still looking for the best way for you to join us for the meetings.
We have a Zoom account, but it only allows up to 100 attendees, so we're
trying to determine other cost-effective methods.

We hope to be able to open the doors (virtually) for our November meeting.
Whether or not you can attend, meeting minutes will be shared on aprssig
and APRS on Groups.io.

*********************
Financial Reporting
*********************

In addition to the previous point, we want to maintain transparency
regarding how monies contributed to the foundation are spent. We discussed
this at our last executive team meeting and are committing to making a
financial report available once every six (6) months.

That ought to do it! Thanks again to everyone for your support! Please tell
your friends, fellow hams, ham radio clubs, etc., about how they, too, can
support the Foundation!

https://www.aprsfoundation.org/membership/

https://www.aprsfoundation.org/donations/

Thanks, and 73!

Jeff Hochberg - W4JEW
President
APRS Foundation Inc

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