Something geeky for a change of pace as the weather is set to get nasty/nastier this week. This is a case of "ghostly tech" that was presumed dead in orbit but after enough chance perturbations came back to life. Thankfully we don't have too many zombie packages in the archive... :-)
Stephen Michael Kellat Point of Contact/Leader, Ubuntu Ohio Member, LoCo Council Begin forwarded message: > From: "ARRL Web site" <[email protected]> > Date: November 11, 2014, 3:44:37 PM EST > To: [email protected] > Subject: ARLS007 AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7 > > SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS007 > ARLS007 AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7 > > ZCZC AS07 > QST de W1AW > Space Bulletin 007 ARLS007 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington, CT November 11, 2014 > To all radio amateurs > > SB SPACE ARL ARLS007 > ARLS007 AMSAT Celebrates 40 Years in Space for AO-7 > > Saturday, November 15, will mark 40 years since the AMSAT-OSCAR 7 > (AO-7) ham radio satellite went into space from Vandenberg Air Force > Base in California. Special Event W7O will be on the air November > 15-24 to commemorate the launch of AO-7, the oldest working Amateur > Radio satellite. Satellite aficionado Patrick Stoddard, > WD9EWK/VA7EWK, who secured W7O for the occasion, plans to work > satellite passes during the special event from Arizona, including > AO-7 passes. He also hopes to recruit other operators to participate > in the celebration from other locations and on other bands, > including HF. > > "I am thinking of incorporating the original QSL card design AMSAT > used to confirm AO-7 reception reports from the 1970s in the W7O > card," Stoddard said. He's still seeking a good scan of both sides > of the 1970s card. "The QSL cards will be printed after the W7O > activity wraps up," he added, noting that he plans to upload W7O > contacts to ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW). > > AO-7 was the second so-called "Phase 2" Amateur Radio satellite that > AMSAT-NA constructed and launched into low-Earth orbit. It remained > in operation until a short circuit occurred in a battery in 1981. > More than 20 years later, however, AO-7 unexpectedly returned to > life, its 2 meter beacon showing up on 145.9775 MHz. AMSAT describes > the Mode A/B bird as "semi-operational" and dependent upon its solar > panels for a reliable power source; AO-7 works only as long as its > solar panels are illuminated by sunlight. Satellite experts > speculate that AO-7's resurrection occurred when the short circuit > in the battery opened up for some reason, allowing the solar cells > to power the spacecraft. When the satellite goes into eclipse, it > powers down. Since the satellite became undead, terrestrial users > have enjoyed numerous contacts via AO-7. > > The eclipse period, during which AO-7 falls silent, lasts from > mid-spring to mid-summer. According to its operating plan, AO-7 > switches to Mode B (70 centimeters up/2 meters down) at 0000 UTC. > AO-7 has beacons on 29.502 MHz (used in conjunction with Mode A) > and, nominally, on 145.972 MHz (used in conjunction with Mode B and > Mode C - low power Mode B). The 435.100 MHz beacon has an > intermittent problem, switching between 400 mW and 10 mW > > Stoddard said he has had heard from a lot of hams interested in > taking part in the W7O operation, but he pointed out that W7O can > only be used in areas where Amateur Radio is regulated by the FCC. > He said that he's seeking satellite operators in different parts of > the US, especially in the Eastern US capable of working Europe, > North Africa, and South America, as well as other North American > station. > > In addition to satellite bands, Stoddard said, he'll take signups > for 1-hour increments on HF (excluding 60 meters) plus 6 meters, for > CW, SSB, and digital modes, but he'd like to avoid having two > stations operating at W7O on the same band/mode combination at the > same time. > > Contact Stoddard for more information at, [email protected] . > > "Once I get some operating commitments from operators, I will > publish the schedule through a link on my WD9EWK QRZ.com entry and > my web page," Stoddard said. "This way, others will know where and > when to look for W7O during this 10-day period." > > AMSAT has posted a series of photos documenting the early OSCAR > years, including AO-7, on the AMSAT web at, > http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/images/fck_images/AMSAT-OSCAR_Space_Day_5-7-11(1).pdf > . > NNNN > /EX
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