SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS012
ARLS012 Bill Tynan, W3XO, to Step Down as AMSAT-NA President

ZCZC AS12  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 012  ARLS012
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  October 9, 1998
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS012
ARLS012 Bill Tynan, W3XO, to Step Down as AMSAT-NA President

AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO, will formally announce his
retirement from office during the AMSAT-NA 16th Annual Meeting and
Space Symposium October 15-19 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. An
announcement also will appear in the next issue of The AMSAT
Journal.  Tynan, who turns 72 on Columbus Day, helped found AMSAT-NA
in 1969 and has headed the organization for the past seven years.
''I think it's time,'' he said, although he expressed regret that he
did not get to see the Phase 3D Amateur Radio satellite get into
orbit during his tenure.

Tynan said he'll recommend to the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors that
Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF, be appointed to replace
him. ''He knows the organization, he's been my right hand,'' said
Tynan. He said he plans to continue serving on the AMSAT-NA Board at
least until his term expires next year and intends to remain active
in AMSAT.

Tynan said the outpouring of support for the Phase 3D project was
the highlight of his time in office. ''The support of both the
League and all our members to get where we are is the most
gratifying and significant accomplishment,'' he said. Tynan noted
that the Phase 3D satellite is completed and will undergo some final
testing this month in the Washington, DC, area. However, he said
there was ''nothing new at all'' to report on the possibility of a
Phase 3D launch opportunity. Tynan said he'll be among those keeping
a close eye on the European Space Agency's Ariane 503 test launch
set for October 20. ''One of our primary hopes is for an Ariane 5
launch,'' he said. Tynan said he's optimistic about the future of
Amateur Radio in space.

Licensed since 1945, Tynan edited the ''Above 50 MHz'' column in QST
from 1975 until 1992. In 1988, he retired as senior engineer from
the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. In 1996, he was honored as
the Dayton Hamvention's Amateur of the Year.

Tynan remains active mostly on the VHF and UHF bands. Once he's free
of the day-to-day affairs of AMSAT, he said he hopes to spend more
time on the air, especially on 6 meters.
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