[amsat-bb] AO-7 notes

[Andrew Glasbrenner]

All,

 

AO-7 is approaching a return to full illumination, sometime around September
25. This period will last until approximately December 26. During this time,
it is likely AO-7 will switch between Modes A and B (2m/10m, and 70cm/2m)
every 24 hours. Get those 10m antennas ready to enjoy mode A every other
day.

 

On another note, here's a reminder and request to remember to keep the power
down. Recently, I've observed sometimes several different stations, usually
in the middle of the passband, ditting away on CW in an attempt to find
themselves. This often bounces the entire passband up and down, and
sometimes causes the transponder to reset ("flip") to Mode A. Try to find
yourself with very low power, or on SSB, or best, with full Doppler control,
and the other users will thank you. If you have to use high power to find
yourself, your receive antenna and system probably needs improvement. SSB
users should also watch their uplink power carefully.

 

73, Drew KO4MA

AMSAT VP Ops